Ahead of the clash at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United, Chelsea coach, Antonio Conte has revealed that Paul Pogba was always keen to make a return to Manchester United.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the game, the Italian revealed his view on Pogba stating, “I think to come back to Manchester United was his dream. I wish him the best, but only after the game.”
Conte said he was looking forward to catching up with his former charge. Pogba was signed from the Red Devils on a free transfer when he was Juventus manager in 2012. Since then, the French midfielder has improved leaps and bounds and this summer was the subject of a £89 million return to Old Trafford.
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The former Italy manager also believes that the Frenchman deserves all the adulation that has come his way and wished him the best.
Also read: Jose Mourinho says “Einsteins” need to stop criticising Paul Pogba
Chelsea’s injury problems
The fixture seems to have come at an inopportune time for the Blues with Cesc Fabregas, Branislav Ivanovic, Kurt Zouma and Oscar being unavailable for the game. There is a possibility of Willian also making the squad depending on a late fitness test.
Chelsea captain John Terry may be unavailable as he was unable to train yesterday after aggravating his ankle and has been assessed by doctors and is likely to be left out of the match-day squad.
The Blues take on Manchester United on Sunday, with former coach, Jose Mourinho at the helm of the Red Devils. The Portuguese will be making an appearance at Stamford Bridge for the first time since his unceremonious sacking last season.
Conte’s views on Mourinho
Terming Mourinho as the “enemy”, the Italian reiterated that he metes out the same treatment to any visiting manager at Stamford Bridge. The Italian though commended the former Blues manager, stating, “I think that he was an important manager for Chelsea, with the club and the players he wrote a part of the story.”
Mourinho’s track record at Chelsea saw him win three Premier League titles with the London club and according to the Italian, the former Porto manager was a very important man at the club. While Conte may have described the visiting managers as the “enemy”, he was quick to point out that it was in the sporting sense only.
When quizzed about the opposition players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, the Italian made clear that it was the entire team that must be stifled. “We must pay attention to the whole team. United have a lot of great players. One of them for sure is Ibrahimovic, who is a fantastic player. There are many, many players”.
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