Paul Pogba is playing five more years under the banner of Manchester United if the report is true that the Frenchman has agreed on a deal to remain at Old Trafford. The new contract appeared to be on the brink of completion and is due for an announcement at the end of the season.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to be confident that Pogba will stay beyond his contract, which is set to expire in 2021, that he is has set the deal to be made public in the few weeks to come.
The Sun reported that both sides have agreed that an extension for the 27-year-old is all but a done deal. The World Cup winner seemed determined that setting his future with the Red Devils is the best option for him and equally confident that the deal will kill all transfer speculations about him, added the report.
It was indicated too that Pogba will be given a rest for United's clash with Crystal Palace on Thursday. The move was in reaction to the star's tired appearance during the match with Southampton that ended in a draw.
Solskjaer said it was apparent during the game that Pogba was not 100%, which the coach justified to the player's absence from the game for a long time. Pogba spent the first half of the season mostly on the sidelines due to injury woes.
However, when the games were resumed, the Frenchman displayed top form and changed attitude on the game, and according to Solskjaer, the Pogba that he sees at the moment will never be dropped from the United squad at any given time.
If true that both United and Pogba will soon finalize a new agreement, it would be quite a turnaround from the past years when the player had repeatedly requested for a transfer. The French star did try leaving the English club for a possible return to Juventus or to sign up with Real Madrid.
Metro said Pogba wanted out in 2018 after his relationship with then United manager Jose Mourinho and he again requested a transfer last summer with Solskjaer already in charge. But none of the moves materialized and Pogba's exit from United became even more impossible with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United man knew clubs will think twice to spend big on transfer fees and wages so his options have become limited, and continuing with the Red Devils seemed the best thing to do at the moment. But it was the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January that appeared to seal the deal for Pogba.
The club has yet to be defeated since Fernandes joined in and other roster members have emerged as solid players. From a struggling side just months ago, United became a strong candidate to qualify for the Champions League, which likely further convinced Pogba that he at present is on the right team.
