A picture of Paul Pogba chatting to Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane in Dubai this week does not bother Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Manchester United’s manager was not overly concerned to learn that his talismanic midfielder Pogba met up with Zidane in Dubai while rehabilitating from injury.
Pogba is in the Middle East state to undergo rehab on the troublesome ankle injury which kept him out of most of September and the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle just prior to the international break.
Zidane – who is believed to have told Real Madrid officials in no uncertain terms that he wants to bring the World Cup winner to the Bernabeu – was in Dubai during the international break as a guest attendee of the Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sport (DAIS) Conference and Exhibition.
Reacting to a question about the picture, published in the Daily Mail two days before United take on Liverpool in a huge Premier League clash, Solskjaer said he did “not have a problem” with the meeting.
Pogba has also previously expressed a strong desire to work under iconic Frenchman Zidane, who guided Real Madrid to three successive Champions League wins from 2016-2018 before sensationally quitting the job, even admitting Zidane was his role model as a youngster.
Players That Return To Former Clubs
Back in charge since last season, Zidane appears to be in a constant power struggle with Real president Florentino Perez to get the players he wants and dump those he doesn’t – like Gareth Bale.
News of the Pogba meeting will also reverberate around Spain and increase pressure on Perez to find the means to bring the ex-Juventus star to the Spanish capital.
And the UK sports media will also have a feeding frenzy, no doubt pushing talk that Pogba is looking for an exit at the earliest opportunity in January.
Pogba’s brother Mathias, who joined Wrexham when his younger sibling initially moved to United and then headed to Pescara when the 26-year-old played for Juventus, is already in Madrid at Tercera Division club Manchego and talking up a family reunion in the city.
He told Radio Marca in September: “Zidane wanted players, he didn’t get them, but I have no doubt that he’s going to do the work he needs to do in order to get the team back to the level he wants. I like Zidane and he likes my brother – everyone knows it.”
