The soap opera that surrounds Paul Pogba refuses to go away, and much of the reason for that are the interventions of his agent, Mino Raiola.
Not content with letting the midfielder get on with his football, Raiola’s modus operandi appears to be stoking the fires with the clubs that his clients play for, in order to get a reaction.
More often than not, that’s precisely what happens, but Gary Neville has had enough and had a message for Manchester United.
“I can accept a player at United not playing well – even being a bit down,” he said on Sky Sports, cited by the Daily Star.
“But it is quite categoric, we have to be really clear, his agent, his best friend has tried to get him out of this football club for the last 15 to 16 months.
“Whether he’s been loved for not, he doesn’t want to be here. If a player doesn’t want to be at the club, you’ve got to find an exit strategy.
“I’m not having a go at Pogba. He doesn’t want to live in Manchester, he wants to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona or another club of that ilk. Great, well done.
“United have a big problem when they have a star player in the dressing room whose agent categorically goes out the night before the biggest game of the season and says he doesn’t want to be at the club.
“The lack of respect – the guy should never be dealt with again by this football club.”
Neville makes a salient point.
In a season where the Red Devils are dramatically underperforming in some games, the last thing they need is for the dressing room equilibrium to be unbalanced.
Raiola’s continuous digs, which have to come with Pogba’s knowledge, run the risk of doing just that, and at a time of the season where the entire squad has to be united.