Pogba: My double Euro vision
from SCOTT COLEMAN in Brussels PAUL POGBA is on a mission to get Manchester United back into the Champions League.
And the Frenchman wants to make sure they qualify twice – by winning the Europa League and finishing in the top four of the Premier League.
As United prepared for their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Anderlecht here, Pogba said: “I came to United to do big challenges.
“It’s normal for United to play Champions League. We have everything to achieve it. We have the manager, the staff, the players.
“We have to go back to the Champions League. That’s the objective, that’s the big one.
“How would I like to do it? To be honest, I’d like to do it by finishing in the top four and
winning the Europa League.”
Pogba also believes getting United back into Europe’s elite club competition will help them attract big-name players, including France team-mate Antoine Griezmann.
“When I signed here, I knew I would be playing Europa League,” he added.
“It wasn’t a problem because I knew the challenge was to get back to the Champions League and to do big things.
“To do big things, you need big players. And if it helps the club get new players, then great.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho has warned goalkeeper David De Gea he cannot allow any renewed interest from Real Madrid to affect his displays.
He said: “I’m not interested in speculation. I think if the player is, he shouldn’t be, because we are playing for very important things and every match is crucial.
“In the Premier League, if we lose a match, the top four gets almost impossible. If we lose in the Europa League, we are in trouble.”
Wayne Rooney, still not fully fit after an ankle problem, has not travelled.