Paul Pogba turned down Manchester City but Premier League title rivals Liverpool will have no interest in raiding north west rivals United for the World Cup winning France international, former Anfield ace Danny Murphy tells talkSPORT (9 May, 12.20pm).
What are the three attributes that come to mind when you think about a midfielder playing in a Jurgen Klopp team? Hard-work, perhaps. High pressing, maybe. A never-say-die, body-on-the-line will to win?.
It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Pogba, lavishly talented he may be, is about as atypical a Liverpool signing as you could ever wish to find, even if Klopp has praised Manchester United’s £93 million millstone in the past.
Paul Pogba turned down Manchester City
According to The Athletic, Pogba has turned down the chance to follow in Carlos Tevez’s footsteps when his Old Trafford contract expires in the summer.
But Murphy is not expecting to see Liverpool take a leaf out of City’s book and offer one of the most divisive players in modern Premier League history – one who has only sporadically looked like a footballer worth a mere fraction of those £290,000-a-week wages – a fresh start at Anfield.
“No. No. No. Not the way the midfielders play for Liverpool,” the formr England international says when asked about the prospect of Pogba swapping United for Liverpool.
Murphy adds that the Frenchman’s stellar displays at the heart of Juventus’ midfield between 2012 and 2016 – paving the way for his world-record return to Old Trafford six years ago – should not be seen as proof that he could thrive in a similarly star-studded Liverpool side.
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“He played in a (Juventus) team that was so dominant at that time, at winning titles. They had all the best players. He was great,” Murphy says. “But his numbers are only similar to what they are at Man United.
“From a midfield point of view at Man United, he’s better than what they’ve got, creatively. But he’s not staying is he?”
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