With Manchester United still underperforming this season, the last thing that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs is his stars to break ranks.
Unfortunately, the soap opera that surrounds Paul Pogba has shown no signs of letting up, with The Athletic, cited by the Daily Mirror, now suggesting that the Frenchman is willing to run down his contract and leave for free at the end of it.
The midfielder’s only two full games for the Red Devils in 2020/21 both ended in defeat and, coincidentally, were matches in which he gave away penalties.
It certainly hasn’t been a start to a campaign worthy of a French World Cup winner.
The sad fact is that, should Pogba stick to his guns and refuse to negotiate a new deal, then United have the next three transfer windows to offload him.
Given that the football world can see how much of a disruptive influence having him in the side can be, there’s no guarantee Pogba will get a dream move to Real Madrid or anywhere else.
Solskjaer will almost certainly have to persuade Ed Woodward to accept a lower fee if it means being about to get him out of Old Trafford, and the quicker that he pitches up elsewhere, the better for him and United.