Ralf Rangnick will not try to persuade Paul Pogba to stay at Manchester United if the midfielder wants to go. The France international is in the final year of his deal and can sign a pre-contract agreement with another team from January. Rangnick was asked what he could do to influence Pogba to agree fresh terms and whether it was worth keeping a player who did not wish to remain at the club.
“I wouldn’t say he’s not worth keeping,” the interim manager said. “But players have to want to play for a big club like Manchester United. If a player does not want to play Manchester United in the medium or long term, I don’t think it makes sense to convince him to change his mind.
“But let’s wait and see, I have spoken with him [Pogba] for 15 minutes over the phone a few days ago [Tuesday]. Let’s have him come back, get fit, train with the team and see where we stand, how the team has developed by then.
“He can be an important player but this is true for all the other players we have. I’m not just the coach of Paul Pogba, I’m also the coach of all the other players and my ambition is to make them better, improve each individual player, and this is only possible by improving the performance of the whole team.”
Mino Raiola, Pogba’s agent, indicated the player was open to a move, but only to clubs offering comparable wages. “We have many offers for him, including a contract extension,” he told the German TV channel Sport1. “We’ll see what’s best for him.”
Pogba was due to return on Friday from a rehab programme in Dubai for his calf injury, with Rangnick to speak face-to-face with the 28-year-old on Sunday. Rangnick stated that in future he wants all recuperation to occur at United.
“As far as I can tell the medical department is really very good, with many different approaches towards rehab,” he said. “I would not want players to do their rehab abroad or anywhere else – the decision on Paul was taken before I came.
“I have already spoken to the medical department – to Steve [McNally] our doctor, to Robin Sadler [head of rehab] – that in the future I want players with injuries to stay here.”
Rangnick said he viewed Pogba’s best position being at the base of midfield in his preferred 4-2-2-2 formation. The manager has injury doubts regarding Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nemanja Matic for Saturday’s trip to Norwich.
