What's the story?
Former Manchester United defender and current football pundit Gary Neville is of the opinion that Paul Pogba does not want to stay at Old Trafford, stating that the influence of his agent has turned the midfielder's head to other challenges.
In case you didn't know...
Rumours of Pogba's exit first surfaced when the Frenchman had a public feud with former boss Jose Mourinho last year. Following the Portuguese manager's sacking in December, the World Cup winner appeared to have undergone a revival under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but his form only lasted a few months and he is now suffering another dip.
The midfielder has netted 13 goals and tallied nine assists for the Red Devils so far this season and has been included in the PFA Team of the Year despite his erratic performances.
The heart of the matter
Neville has opined that Pogba's days at Old Trafford could be numbered, with many big clubs reportedly interested in the midfielder.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Red Devil said, "I think he is world class. I don’t think he wants to be here, that’s his problem. I think his agent’s into him."
"I said two, three months ago when he was brilliant, he’s done brilliantly for Ole, by the way, he’s scored I think 11 goals, seven assists, but I honestly thought a couple of months ago we sat in this studio at the Liverpool game and everything was brilliant about Pogba and I said ‘I believe that it will resurface, the issues will resurface’."
"We know his agent, we know the influence he has on him, we know that Pogba has got his head turned by other clubs and he’s playing like somebody who’s had his head turned. He’s playing like somebody who doesn’t quite want to be here."
He added, "The problem is if a player doesn’t want to be at a club and he has the influence that I think he has in the dressing room, I think the likes of [Jesse] Lingard, [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial, I think they do come off him. And I think if he’s not quite at it and not raring to go, then it is a problem, it is a massive problem."
What's next?
Following their defeat to Manchester City last night, United remained in the sixth spot on the Premier League table and will face another test when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday.