Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United, not Real Madrid, are “the perfect club” for Paul Pogba to realise his ambition of becoming the world’s best player.
United confirmed on Sunday that Pogba was given permission by Juventus to undergo a medical in Manchester ahead of a world-record €120m return to Old Trafford, and Mourinho praised the midfielder for avoiding competition with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“United is the perfect club to bring him to the level he wants to be,” the manager said after United’s 2-1 Community Shield win against Leicester City.
“The Premier League is the perfect habitat if you want to be the best player in the world. If you go to Barca or Madrid you are in trouble, because I don't think the other two big guys will let you develop to that level.
“Here he has the conditions to develop in the biggest worldwide championship, with a team that wants to bring Manchester United to the top again. We have everything to give him. Money he will get in any big club. He comes because he knows the club, the city, many of the players and to be part of the Man United project.
“If it goes well in the medical, which I think he will – I see on Instagram he does kung-fu, karate, running, basketball, football – everything, so he must be fit – on Tuesday I will be there waiting for him, if that is the situation for us.
“This has been a good window for us; [Eric] Bailly, Pogba, [Zlatan] Ibrahimobvic, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan. One defender, one midfielder, one striker, one creative. The squad is good.
“But we need to work a lot. We need more weeks of work. I am happy that for three weeks we have just a match for the weekend.”
