Mourinho wants to sell Mata, seven other stars for £100m Pogba

Fowler: He is overrated

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, is reportedly ready to sell eight players this summer in order to fund a £100 million move for Juventus midfielder, Paul Pogba, according to the Sun on Sunday.

The Portuguese boss is understood to want to work with a core squad of 22, which puts the futures of a number of Red Devils in doubt as he looks to bring the France international back to Old Trafford this summer.

Marcos Rojo, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata are five of the individuals who could leave the club after disappointing seasons in 2015/16, with the latter heavily linked with a move to Everton.

Adnan Januzaj and Daley Blind could also go as Mourinho fights to sign Pogba, who would be the fourth addition at Old Trafford this summer following the arrivals of Villarreal defender Eric Bailly, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and former PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Meanwhile, former England striker, Robbie Fowler, has launched a scathing attack on Pogba, claiming the £100m price-tag is way too much for the 23-year-old
France’s Pogba is ‘massively overrated’ and has been average at the European Championships, according to Fowler.

In a brutally honest column written ahead of Les Bleus’ showpiece with Portugal yesterday, the former England striker also branded the £100m-rated Juventus midfielder as a ‘selfish’ player, who doesn’t score a lot of goals.

“Manchester United’s pursuit of Paul Pogba is a case of them showing their teeth… because they can,” he wrote for the Mirror.

“It is a massive statement of intent from the most financially powerful club in the world, designed, I suspect, to show they still have plenty of bite in the transfer market.

“But £100m? C’mon. I’m sorry, but Pogba is massively overrated. Look, he must be a good player because so many people in the game speak about his qualities and you don’t get to the top in Italy without having talent.

“I just don’t see it. He hasn’t really stood out in Europe and most certainly not at these European Championships.

“He’s done OK against pretty limited opposition for France, but what does he bring? Energy and athleticism to midfield, but so does N’Golo Kante.

“He’s skilful but selfish, not many goals, which for me is a fundamental problem if you’re going to spend £100m on him.”