"I had a big battle" - Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba names former Liverpool star as his toughest opponent 

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has named former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can as the toughest opponent he has faced. The German, who played for the Reds between 2014 and 2018, currently plies his trade for Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking to FootballJoe (via HITC), Pogba talked about the most formidable opponent he has come up against thus far:

“Emre Can, Emre Can, yeah. We obviously have N’Golo and everything, but one day I remember I had a big battle with Emre Can. But with Kante, you pass him, and you think there’s another N’Golo right behind him.”

Pogba and Can have faced off against each other five times, with the latter not winning once. The German played for Liverpool till 2018 before moving to Pogba's former club Juventus.

Can made 167 appearances for the Reds, scoring 14 goals and making 12 assists. The 28-year-old has been going strong this season as well, scoring thrice in 20 outings.

Pogba, meanwhile, could be in his last season with Manchester United. His contract with the club expires this summer, and there has been no update on a new deal. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are reportedly interested in signing the Frenchman.

He has made 23 appearances this season, scoring once and making nine assists. Seven of those assists came in the first four Premier League games of the season.

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Manchester United's biggest trophy drought in 49 years; Liverpool in contention for quadruple

Manchester United were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. The Spanish side won 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

United were already eliminated from the EFL Cup and the FA Cup in the third and fifth round, respectively. They are currently fifth in the Premier League, a whopping 20 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have already won the EFL Cup this season, beating Chelsea on penalties in the final. They face Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday (March 20). The Reds beat Inter Milan to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp's men face Arsenal in the Premier League on March 16. If they win that game, they will go just a point behind City. They are in contention to win the quadruple this season, which would be the first by any English team.