Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said he did not have to convince players to remain at the Premier League club as media speculation grows over the future of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
The 28-year-old is returning to Manchester from Dubai, where he spent time rehabilitating after a thigh injury in November and could yet feature in Rangnick’s plans, despite being out of contract at the end of this season.
United have been in talks with Pogba over a new deal, but the midfielder has frequently been linked with a move away from Old Trafford since rejoining from Juventus in 2016 for a then-world record 89 million pounds (US$118.09 million).
“I wouldn’t say he’s not worth keeping but, of course, players have to want to play and stay for a club and a big club like United,” Rangnick said ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Norwich City.
“If a player doesn’t want to play for a club like United medium or long-term, I don’t think it makes sense to convince him to change his mind.
“He can be an important player but this is true for all the others … I’m not just the coach of Pogba, I’m also the coach of all the others and my ambition is to … improve each individual, this is possible by improving the performance of the team.”
Anthony Martial’s agent said the French forward was looking to leave United due to a lack of game time.
“Anthony wishes to leave the club in January,” Martial’s representative Philippe Lamboley, the executive director of USFA Management, told Sky Sports. “He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.”
(US$1=0.7536 pounds)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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