Why Man City shouldn't even consider signing player Man United let go in 2022 who rejected them once - opinion
Pep Guardiola is reportedly interested in signing the former Manchester United superstar ????
Manchester City supporters will be hoping that in the summer of 2025, reinforcements are brought in to bolster their midfield department.
Martin Zubimendi’s view on joining Manchester City is that he reportedly fears a transfer due to the possibility of being relegated to being a mere backup to the currently injured Rodri.
The Telegraph have reported that the other midfielders Pep Guardiola and Co have targeted are Atalanta’s Ederson Dos Santos, Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
San Diego FC have targeted Kevin De Bruyne as an ambitious signing in January, who turned 33 in May and looks like he is regressing physically after suffering yet another injury earlier this season.
The 34-year-old Ilkay Gundogan’s return to Manchester City has been uninspiring so far, while Bernardo Silva, 30, has just two years left on his contract as he too has flattered to deceive this season.
Mateo Kovacic, 30 has been solid for much of his spell at the Etihad Stadium but has also failed to pull any trees. As for Matheus Nunes, he seemingly lacks Pep Guardiola’s trust in midfield, as exemplified by the fact that he has yet to start in the Premier League in the middle of the park this season.
Aside from Rodri and Phil Foden, there seems to be no midfielder at City who has an upside left in their careers.
It was reported by The Independent on Saturday that Manchester City are interested in making a shock move for Paul Pogba once he makes his return to football in March, with Pep Guardiola “being an admirer.”
Man City should avoid Paul Pogba transfer at all costs
However, Pogba is believed to be “reluctant” to return to England after his mixed time in the Premier League and is instead, much more keen on heading to clubs in Serie A, La Liga or the Bundesliga.
However, from the Sky Blues’ point of view, they should avoid signing the Frenchman at all costs for several reasons.
The World Cup winner is 31 and elite clubs like Manchester City should steer clear from signing players who are on the wrong side of 30.
Gundogan’s return this season has showcased that making short-term signings is not the apt way for City to do their business, considering the German has undergone a major physical decline.
Furthermore, Pogba is known to be extremely injury-prone, missing a staggering 58 games through various knocks during his second stint at Juventus.
With the Europa League winner having not played any football since March, if he is signed, it would be no surprise if he has undergone an adverse decline from the time when he was at his physical peak.
But most importantly, the question Pep Guardiola should pose if Pogba’s name is brought up amongst Manchester City’s list of transfer targets is how he would improve their midfield.
While the former Manchester United midfielder’s technical brilliance and natural talent can never be disputed, as a number eight, he cannot be typified as a controller, a tenacious defensive presence or extremely productive.
City’s need for at least two of these three aforementioned characteristics is key in a central midfielder.
Pogba’s decision-making has always been frustrating as well, even after he became an established player as he would often excessive touches, lose the ball in dangerous areas when trying to do skills or tricks and make uncharacteristic mistakes in the first phase of the pitch for a player who was so technically gifted.
In 2020, Frank Lampard analysed that Pogba’s game was still very raw for an experienced player and he could very well be a liability for Pep Guardiola if his services were secured by Manchester City in the summer.
Lampard said via HaytersTV: “Paul Pogba is naturally more talented than I was. In the box, I could get there and work hard to score a goal. But in terms of attributes, he would have run all over me, he’s got better feet in terms of how he can dribble with it. But there’s no point in dribbling in your own half as a midfield player, unless you really have to, to get out of trouble.”
“So, all that kind of flick and roll stuff, roll of the studs and all that stuff looks great. But I’m not a big advocate for that and you see a lot of young players go, ‘Oh my God, look at that!’ on YouTube, it’s amazing. And I don’t like it and he has delved into that side too much.”
There are far too many reasons why signing Pogba would be a grave error from Manchester City and it is a surprise that even the prospect of making such a move has been considered.
Pogba admitted he rejected Man City and Pep Guardiola in 2022
Speaking to the Daily Mail in October, the versatile technician admitted why he turned down a move to City after having had the chance to sign for them after leaving Manchester United in 2022.
Pogba revealed: “Honestly, I had a lot of problems.”
“I had the burglary, I had a problem with the extortion. I had to leave Manchester. Let’s say it like this: if I didn’t have that, maybe I would have been at City. But with an ‘if’, you can save the world because my head wasn’t about staying in Manchester. But it wasn’t a closed door because I left United for free.”
La Gazzetta dello Sport even asked Pogba if he snubbed Pep Guardiola and instead, decided to sign Juventus.
The French international simply replied: “Yes.”
As Pogba seems reticent over heading to Manchester City, which should be considered a blessing in disguise for the club to target younger midfielders who fit their demands much more.
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