The midfielder is looking to leave Old Trafford but his manager is hoping to convince him to stick around
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he wants to give want-away midfielder Paul Pogba a “new challenge” at Old Trafford.
Pogba himself used those words last month when discussing his desire to leave the club.
“I think for me, it can be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else,” the France star said.
Then earlier this month, Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola said that he is “in the process” of securing his client a move elsewhere, with Real Madrid and Juventus reported to be interested.
But on Tuesday, Solskjaer insisted that Pogba would not have to leave Manchester to find the new challenge that he is seeking.
“I’ve not been upset by anything he’s said because we’ve had many conversations and I know exactly what Paul is thinking. I can give him a new challenge,” Solskjaer said.
The Norwegian, however, would not go as far as guaranteeing that Pogba would remain with the club, though he insisted that his side have yet to receive a bid for the 26-year-old.
“I’ve got to be careful – I can’t dive into all this, hypothetical questions and all that. But we’ve not had offers,” Solskjaer said.
“I can say the same about whichever player. If we don’t get an offer for a player we would have to pay them out for them not to be here, don’t we, so we haven’t had offers.
“I’ve said so many times about Paul that he’s a top, top boy and a great player and he’s never, ever been a problem.”
After a difficult campaign last season in which they finished in sixth place in the Premier League, United have only added Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the transfer market thus far.
The club have also failed to move out a number of players in an expected summer cull, with less than a month remaining to buy players in the transfer window.
Solskjaer, though, has said he is happy with the club’s business thus far.
“I wanted Aaron and Dan James. Aaron was, for me, the top target,” Solskjaer said. “We can’t expect Dan to be David Beckham or Ryan Giggs straightaway but he will be a top player. He’s not a £70 million player, no, but he’ll be worth it.”
Manchester United will face Leeds in Perth, Australia on Wednesday as part of their six-match pre-season tour.
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