Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has left the door open for a move to Manchester City in the future after the Frenchman revealed his desire to work with Pep Guardiola. Pogba, who was previously linked with Manchester City, also noted that he considered Guardiola an icon of football, noting that most players improved under him.
Ahead of Juventus’ Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich, Pogba was the subject of an interview with Sky Sports Deutschland. The midfielder was asked about the possibility of working with Guardiola, and replied with comments that will make City fans hope, saying “Right now I am still with Juventus, but clearly if you have a chance to work with someone like him, things can develop in the future.”
Pogba voiced his admiration for Guardiola further, saying “Guardiola has great experience and an immense philosophy of football. He is a coach who influences the squad and all the players respect him. You can only admire and try to learn something from him.”
“He is an icon of football and I’ve heard he manages to improve every player he has at his disposal.”
Manchester City linked with host of midfielders
Pep Guardiola’s affinity for central midfielders is well known, as the Spaniard had previously gone on record saying that he’d love to have ‘1000 midfielders’ in his squad, while at Barcelona. Earlier, Sergio Busquets was rumoured with a move to Manchester City, after Barcelona’s pivote claimed that only his wife or Guardiola could tempt the midfielder away from Barcelona.
Given that Pogba has come out with a spate of comments that were complimentary of Messi recently, the footballing rumour mill was awash with rumours that Barcelona would table a bid for the Juventus midfielder, which would pave the way for Busquets to reunite with Guardiola at Manchester City.
However, the fact that Pogba is so keen on learning from Guardiola, coupled with Manchester City’s financial might, it might not be very surprising if the Frenchman lines up for the Sky Blues come the start of next season.
With Yaya Toure expected to make a move away from Manchester, there could be a large hole in City’s midfield, that Pogba seems tailor-made to fill. The midfielder’s physique and dribbling skills are very reminiscent of Toure and Patrick Vieira in their prime, two midfielders who went on to dominate the Premier League.