Toure would ‘teach’ Pogba midfield tricks if he secures United move
YAYA TOURE believes he would be a good “teacher” to Paul Pogba as the outgoing Manchester City midfielder admitted he would not rule out a move to Old Trafford.
Toure is a free agent this summer after Pep Guardiola opted not to renew his contract at the Premier League champions but the Ivorian midfielder has indicated that he would not be averse to making the switch across the city to rivals Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho is in the market for at least one central midfielder following the retirement of Michael Carrick, with United working on a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Fred.
But Mourinho could be forced into the market for a second midfielder if Marouane Fellaini, who has attracted interest from AC Milan, fails to agree a new contract.
With United already targeting two full-backs, a centre-half and a winger, Toure would be a relatively cheap midfield option for Mourinho. And the 35-year-old says he would be open to the transfer, despite his allegiance to City, where he spent eight years, as he weighs up his next career move
“Yeah, he just left,” Toure said about Carrick’s retirement at United.
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“Let’s see, let’s see. I don’t rule big teams out. The big teams are very important for me. What they want to achieve, the way they want to go, for me is very important.
“I want to go somewhere I can win and achieve.
“It’s going to be hard one day to play against City, but I have to do that. It is part of my job. I’ve been playing football for such a long time, I’m no good in the office or something else. I am good in football.”
Toure, who is keen to stay in England despite offers from China, the Middle East and America, believes he could also help improve Pogba, whose future at Old Trafford is uncertain after a deeply disappointing second season at Old Trafford.
Pogba’s erratic form since the turn of the year has coincided with the Frenchman’s increasingly strained relationship with Mourinho but Toure believes he could be a mentor to the United midfielder.
“I love Paul Pogba,” Toure told the ‘Manchester Evening News’. “It’s difficult because of the way the media has treated him. We don’t have the same characteristics because for me I was involved in all the balls, I ran everywhere. I liked that. I was prepared for that. I was working for that for a long time.
“Pogba is the same size, power – but different in the way he wants to go, technically as well, the ability to score goals as well. It is a player I want to play with, to be honest, just to teach him some things.” (© Daily Telegraph, London)