I WANT TO WORK WITH PEP, SAYS POGBA
THE first indication of Pep Guardiola’s influence at Manchester City emerged yesterday after Paul Pogba revealed he hoped to play under the Spaniard. Guardiola takes the reins at the Etihad Stadium on July 1 and has already discussed transfer targets with sporting director Txiki Begiristain, with central midfield a key area. Pogba would cost upwards of £70million from Juventus in the summer but Guardiola is set to be handed significant backing to reshape the squad. ‘He is a coach with a lot of experience and a great game philosophy,’ Pogba said. ‘Therefore he always has a great influence on his team. All the players respect him. You only have to look at him and you want to learn from him. I’ve heard that he improves every player. He is a football icon. ‘Right now I am still with Juventus, but clearly if you have chance to work with someone like him, you can only develop further.’ Reports in Spain yesterday claimed Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has told Barcelona that he prefers a move to City. Suggestions that a deal is already sealed were denied opponent,’ he said. ‘But there are some cases when you must do it.’ He also admitted the last week has been difficult for his players after defeats at home against Leicester City and Tottenham. ‘It was not easy but you must try to take important things from those defeats,’ he said. ‘It was a difficult week but a useful week and I hope in the next game we’ll correct a lot of mistakes.’