MANCHESTER (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he has been assured by star midfielder Paul Pogba that the Frenchman does not want to leave Manchester United despite mounting speculation over a switch to Real Madrid.
United midfielder Pogba last week described Madrid, managed by France great Zinedine Zidane, as a "dream club for every player" while on international duty.
Fuel was then poured on the fire ahead of Madrid's game at the weekend when the Real boss admitted that Pogba would be welcome at the Bernabeu if and when he decides to call time on his United career.
Zidane is expected to have a big transfer budget this summer to shake things up. Real crashed out of the Champions League to Ajax at the last-16 stage and trail Barcelona by 12 points in LaLiga.
Solskjaer was appointed permanent manager at Old Trafford only last week but the future of United's most high-profile player is once again in the spotlight.
Madrid have a track record of taking some of United's star names, with both David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo swapping Old Trafford for the Bernabeu, but Solskjaer said he is not worried by the Pogba situation.
"It doesn't really concern me because my thought of action was to sit down and speak to Paul," he said on Monday (April 1).
"I have had my chat with Paul and we're fine. He is going to do his utmost here because he knows I am very fond of him as a player and as a person. He is important for us here, so there are no issues. He is happy here."
Solskjaer's immediate priority is United's trip to Wolves on Tuesday for their rearranged Premier League game.
They have a big chance to put pressure on their rivals for a top-four spot by picking up a win at Molineux but know it will not be easy after Wolves knocked them out of the FA Cup last month.
Saturday's 2-1 win at home to Watford moved United level on points with Tottenham and they would go third, at least temporarily, with another victory.
United languished 11 points off the top-four spots when Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December and the Norwegian is delighted that his team are now in control of their own destiny.
He has set a target of five wins from their remaining seven games and does not feel his players are going to ease up, despite a sub-par performance against Watford.
"I don't think I need to remind the players about their standards dropping," he said. "They know themselves. They want to be in the Champions League and they want to perform as well as they possibly can.
"Maybe they didn't believe in it themselves in November or December but we are in with a chance.
"Everyone knows that if we do our jobs and get 15 points over the last seven games, we will be in the Champions League next year.
"It's the final stretch, so it's not a time to change. We need the same mindset as we have had. It's a question of going into games thinking that we are going to win.
"Against Watford we did not get going until 15 or 20 minutes into the match but I am not worried because we have so many nice games to look forward to between now and the end of the season."
Pochettino gives backing to under-fire Lloris. AFP April 2, of promise in the cruel loss to Liverpool and Pochettino is sure that their new home will be graced by Champions League football
Football: Pochettino gives backing to under-fire Lloris
Manchester City celebrated their domestic treble with an open-top bus parade on Monday, drawing an estimated 100,000 fans to the streets of the city centre. Pep Guardiola's City side became the
Mbappe reaches Ligue 1 half century as PSG brush Nimes aside
footballsection.com/2019/02/23/mbappe-reaches-ligue-1-half-century-as-psg-brush-nimes-aside/
1:10 PM ET Kylian Mbappe celebrates with fellow goal-scorer Christopher Nkunku. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) Kylian Mbappe became the youngest player in 45 years to reach 50 Ligue 1 goals as Paris Saint-Germain beat Nimes 3-0 at home on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top to 17 points.
Football news - Kylian Mbappe reaches half century as PSG
Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Football: Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth
PARIS (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian captain Thiago Silva has been granted French citizenship, he announced on Twitter on Friday (March 15). The 34-year-old's decision means PSG have an extra space in their squad for a non-EU player. Silva has played 274 games since joining the reigning Ligue 1 champions in 2012 and has 77 caps for Brazil.
PSG captain Thiago Silva receives French citizenship
Apr 27, 2019 · Ryan Babel scored in the 79th minute to give Fulham a 1-0 home victory which leaves Cardiff on the brink of relegation. a superb strike from Ryan Babel shattered Cardiff's hopes of piling
Babel strike leaves Cardiff on brink of relegation - Football
Call me if you need anything: the situation isn't comfortable, bad drugs (not weed, but didn't smoke), a ride, whatever. I was a very difficult teen but we had our trust. Reply to A
Bayern Munich won a record-extending seventh consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday after crushing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 to finish two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich win Bundesliga title for seventh successive
Soccer-Usual suspects in the frame at expanded Asian Cup. The 17th Asian Cup finals will be the biggest in the 62-year history of the tournament but even with 24 teams battling it out, it is
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Usual Suspects in the Frame at Expanded
Jun 01, 2019 · Jose Antonio Reyes, a Spanish soccer star best known for playing for his hometown club Sevilla and a stint with English side Arsenal, died Saturday in a car crash near his childhood home in Utrera
Former Arsenal and Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes dies in
LONDON(AFP) - Real Madrid have knocked Manchester United off the top of Deloitte's Football Money League, but the Premier League still flexed its financial muscle, with all of England's "Big Six
Manchester United : Real Madrid take top spot from Manchester
Confident Real Madrid stroll to fourth straight win By Next Edition on February 4, 2019 No Comment Share on Facebook Follow on Facebook Add to Google+ Connect on Linked in Subscribe by Email Print This Post
Confident Real Madrid stroll to fourth straight win - The
0 comments:
Post a Comment