Why Pogba could still stay at Man Utd
FT Desk
- 27 Mar 2022 10:30 CDT
- 3 min read
Paul Pogba could yet stay at Manchester United.
That is the current feeling in France where Pogba is currently busy on international duty with the reigning world champions.
Indeed, Telefoot reported on Sunday that a contract extension for Pogba before the end of the season is very possible.
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Pogba’s contract expires at Old Trafford at the end of the season and until now there has been little progress made over a renewal, with one of Juventus, PSG or Real Madrid expected to snap him up on a Bosman this summer.
Although the 29-year-old has had flashes of genius, he has been inconsistent, injury-prone and often a tactical problem since his €100 million-plus move from Juventus in 2016.
After a bright start to the current campaign, Pogba has gone on to endure one of his most miserable seasons of his career. He missed 10 weeks with a thigh injury and has scored just one goal in all competitions.
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Having been billed as the saviour and leader of this Man Utd team upon his return from Juventus, the Red Devils have never been close to winning one of the two major trophies; the Premier League or Champions League.
This season will be another trophyless one and Man Utd are currently struggling to even qualify for next season’s Champions League.
But the feeling in France is that Pogba could stay at Man Utd. The reasons for this are two-fold. First of all, Pogba currently earns €17.4m (£15m) a year at Old Trafford. He knows that he will have to take a pay-cut if he were to move on. In the case of Juventus and even Real Madrid – who are trying to fund big deals for Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland – the cut will be significant. Thus, financially, Pogba will be better off staying.
Secondly, there is not a huge clamour for Pogba like there was a year or two ago. He turns 30 next year and it has not passed unnoticed just how inconsistent and injury-prone Pogba has been at club level. While top teams like Juve, Madrid and PSG are still interested, any deal would have to be on their terms.
Pogba himself admitted this weekend that a move away from Man Utd was not inevitable.
“Nothing is decided on my future, nothing is done,” he said.
“I can decide tomorrow, just as I can decide during the transfer window. I want to bounce back and finish the season well.”
