Manchester United insiders believe Paul Pogba has played his last game for the club
There is a growing belief inside Old Trafford that Paul Pogba has played his last game for Manchester United, say reports.
The midfielder was linked with a move to Real Madrid throughout the summer and hasn’t featured for the Red Devils since 30 September because of injury.
Pogba was set to return to the fold this week before falling ill, and the Mirror reports that players and officials inside the club believe his time is up.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains adamant that the midfielder is a big part of his future plans and the Premier League giants don’t want to sell him in January.
But some of Pogba’s team-mates and staff at Old Trafford don’t think he will be seen in a red shirt again, with the 26-year-old determined to force through a transfer to Madrid as soon as possible.
The France international’s lengthy absence is seen as an indication of a future away from Manchester, and Solskjaer hasn’t been able to confirm when he is expected to feature again.
United’s asking price for the World Cup winner is £150 million, and he has another 18 months left to run on his current contract.
Solskjaer’s side travel to rock-bottom Watford on Sunday as they look to continue a four-match unbeaten run in the league, in which they’ve beaten Tottenham and Manchester City.
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United defeated Colchester 3-0 on Wednesday to book a League Cup semi-final date against Pep Guardiola’s side.
They are currently sixth in the standings, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.