POG DEAL BLOW

United face battle to keep star long term

PAUL POGBA will resist Manchester United’s attempts to give him a new deal so he can seal his dream move to Real Madrid.

United are hoping to secure the France World Cup winner on a long-term deal after keeping him out of the clutches of the Spanish giants this summer. But while Pogba has assured Reds’ manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that his commitment to the team will be total, he believes that his future is at the Bernabeu.

United slapped a £180million valuation on the 26-year-old after Real boss Zinedine Zidane made midfield general Pogba his No.1 summer target.

Pogba, who limped off in the draw at Southampton yesterday

FOR Paul Pogba, the door is creaking shut – as he watches helplessly.

Come tomorrow teatime it will have shut completely, and the likelihood is that he will still be a Manchester United player. That dream move to Real Madrid looks further away than ever.

And right now Pogba looks like a player who is sulking.

Judging by his performance at St Mary’s yesterday, the £89million man would rather be anywhere else than in a United shirt.

In stark contrast to the energy, the vim, the work ethic and the sheer enthusiasm of the young players on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team around him – like Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and especially Scott McTominay – Pogba was an anonymous, irrelevant absence for most of this match.

Maybe that missed penalty against Wolves is still playing on his mind. Maybe it was just one of those days – and to be fair, the Frenchman’s loping, often casual style can look at times as if he is just not bothered.

He was left off United’s 2020 official team calendar this week, perhaps because everyone thought he was going to be on his way.

But he is still there, in person, anyway. In spirit, who knows?

The signs were there early on as Pogba picked up the ball, ran into a blind alley, and lost it.

Then, as happened too often yesterday, the Frenchman did not track back, and Sofiane Boufal was allowed space to send a low shot just wide.

There were glimpses. A powerful run through the middle saw him holding off Danny Ings with ease to lay off a pass. But nowhere near enough of them.

James gave United the lead with a lovely goal and twice came close to adding to it. A real find for Solskjaer.

Pogba meanwhile kept getting the ball and losing it, his passes rarely finding a United shirt.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane wants Pogba, according to reports, and is annoyed that his club have not made more of an effort to get the midfielder.

Pogba had publicly expressed his desire for a “new challenge” earlier this summer. It didn’t happen.

He did not hand in a transfer request, and may now rue that decision.

Unless something dramatic happens in the next 48 hours he might as well get on with it until January. Meanwhile, as he lost the ball again on the edge of the area, there by stark contrast was McTominay battling and twice blocking shots as Saints levelled through Jannik Vestergaard’s header.

One pass set up James for a shot that was saved, but another poor piece of control saw the ball bounce off his foot.

Another disappointing day in the Pogba calendar.