Beating Pogba will console me for all the losses
HORDUR MAGNUSSON hopes to take some real-life revenge on Paul Pogba tonight for his defeats in their battles on the computer consoles.
Bristol City’s Iceland defender Magnusson became a pal, PlayStation rival, interpreter and team-mate of Pogba when he joined Juventus in 2012.
Magnusson was in Juve’s youth academy and never got a chance to play in the senior side alongside Pogba but they had plenty of “virtual” action – and he almost always ended up on the losing side.
Now he is looking forward to a reunion and payback when Pogba returns from a three-game ban in a bid to help Manchester United reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals at Ashton Gate tonight.
“We became good friends straight away,” recalled Magnusson, who at 24 is the same age as Frenchman Pogba. “When I arrived at Juventus I trained with him on my first day and he was really welcoming to me, which meant a lot.
“He didn’t speak Italian but I did, so I helped him, and I speak English so that helped us get along fine and I tried to help him get into Italian football.
“I spent a lot of time with Paul at home just hanging out, enjoying life, playing PlayStation and NBA on the Xbox. He always seemed to win but it was still fun.
“We bumped into each other after the France-Iceland game at the Euros, which was nice.”
Magnusson said Pogba is vital to United’s hopes of success this season for his creativity, running and aerial power.
“I know I’m biased because I’m good friends with Paul but I think every team in the world would want a player as good as him,” he said.
“I know he might not be like Ronaldo or Messi who would be their top scorer, but he can give the team many goals and a lot more as well because he is such a top allround player.
“He is young, he is tall so he can win lots in the air but he has lots of energy, pace and he’s very skilful.
“He is good fun when he’s not playing but he’s very serious when he is working. He is a genuine team player and the team always comes first with him. He is very humble and always wanting to learn from the coaches and team-mates, especially those who have more experience than him.”
City are sitting third in the Championship and their manager Lee Johnson has promised to give Jose Mourinho a vintage welcome off the pitch – but he is still out to make it a miserable night for the United boss.
Johnson has splashed out on an expensive bottle of Mourinho’s favourite red wine to toast him after the game but says the five-star treatment will not extend to the pitch. He said: “I am a young gunslinger coming in against the likes of Jose but I have purchased an extremely expensive bottle of wine I have heard he likes.
“The wine has cost me a fortune and I had to raid my little girl’s piggy bank, so she won’t be getting a Christmas present now!
“It is a Portuguese red, so hopefully I can seduce him into the office for five or 10 minutes and pick his brain about one or two things.
“But in the technical area he will be just another manager. We won’t be in awe of them. We’re in good form and will be a challenge for them.” Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set for a recall tonight and a chance to save his United career. The Armenian has not featured in eight of the past nine match-day squads after Mourinho accused him of “disappearing in games”. But Mourinho said yesterday: “I’m going to make a few changes and it’s possible that ‘Micki’ could be involved.
“But I’m not making many changes, because Bristol City are one of the best teams in the Championship and for me now the Championship is not the Championship of five or 10 years ago.
“The Championship is now highquality teams with lots of players that could be playing in the Premier League easily. So we need to take the game really seriously.”