Robin van Persie issues Paul Pogba message to Man Utd amid exit rumours

Robin van Persie believes Manchester United should organise an interview between Paul Pogba and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to put to bed unanswered questions regarding the Frenchman’s future. Pogba expressed his desire for a “new challenge” last summer while his agent Mino Raiola tried to engineer an exit route out of Old Trafford.

United were firm in their resistance to any interest, though, and warded off lingering clubs by sticking a £150million price tag on their midfield lynchpin.

That value has lowered this season with Pogba only having made eight appearances in all competitions to date due to ankle problems, which led to him undergoing surgery in January.

The 26-year-old’s contract will also have just one year to run at the end of the season, although United have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

Raiola has continued to be outspoken on the topic of Pogba’s future and revealed this month that he has held talks with Juventus chiefs about a potential return to Turin.

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Pogba has stayed tight-lipped about where his ambitions lie – but Van Persie thinks that must now change.

The former United striker, who was pivotal to the club’s last Premier League title win in 2012/13, has previously criticised Pogba’s handling of the situation.

And the Dutchman has now suggested a panacea for all parties involved.

“Is he happy there?” Van Persie asked in an interview with Sports Perform.

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“There’s constantly rumours, you have the agent constantly giving interviews, you have the coach answering questions almost every day, every week.

“There’s a lot going on beside the main event, and the most important thing is football.

“I know how it works, especially if you’re injured. People can’t judge you on your game, so they start to talk about other things.

“I think for Pogba, and Manchester [United], it would be best to… I don’t know, do an interview together or something, together with the coach.

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“Just say: ‘Listen: this is what I want, this is where I would like to play – judge me on that. I’m happy, or I’m not happy, or whatever.’ Now, it’s a lot of questions going around.”

Van Persie also explained earlier in the interview why it may be beneficial for Pogba to announce his favoured position after playing in a multitude of midfield roles for United.

“Pogba, in my opinion, is a world-class player, he has proven it over the years,” Van Persie said. “He has it all.

“But first, I think with him, and that’s after a couple of years now, I think he should come out and he should say what his favourite position is.

“If that’s done, then people can judge him based on this position. Now, I don’t think people really know if he’s a six, if he’s a number 10… that’s a big difference.

“I have the feeling people judge him a bit unfairly. They expect 20 goals, they expect 20 assists, they expect Pogba to make Manchester United champions.

“But, is he a six? If he’s a six, then you cannot expect 20 goals. If he’s a 10, maybe 12 to 15 goals. So, it’s not really fair on him because it’s not really clear.”

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