Bacary Sagna

Bacary Sagna - Classy Footballer

Former Real Madrid midfielder Christian Karembeu believes Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is ready to take up the challenge with Los Blancos. The France international has been heavily linked with a move to the Spanish giants this summer with manager Zinedine Zidane keen on reinforcing the squad with a world-class midfielder.

Speaking to El Mundo, Karembeu said that Pogba is obviously one of the best midfielders in the world and he appears prepared for a bigger challenge with the 13-time European champions, he told the Spanish outlet:"Hopefully. He is a great player, and Zizou knows him from Juventus. He is ready for Madrid, although he will have to prove it. That shirt weighs a lot."

Former Juventus star Claudio Marchisio has said that he would love to see Paul Pogba make a comeback to the Serie A with the Bianconeri. The France international left the Serie A holders to return to Manchester United three years ago but the move has not worked out with him struggling for consistency with his performances.

Speaking to Tuttosport, Marchisio has indicated that he would have preferred Frenkie de Jong at Juventus but that is no longer viable with Barcelona landing his signature. He added that Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard are the other options on his wishlist, but they don’t seem feasible when compared to Pogba.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that the team should use their Champions League disappointment as a motivation to push for the Premier League title. The Mancunian giants recently bowed out of the Champions League to Tottenham Hotspur on the away goal rule after their quarter-final clash ended with a 4-4 aggregate score.

Speaking in a news conference, Guardiola said that the players have yet to fully overcome the disappointment of exiting the Champions League at the last eight stage. However, he added that the players can use the same as a motivation factor when they face Mauricio Pochettino’s side again in the Premier League this weekend.
He said: “If you believe it doesn’t hurt, or forget it, I’d say no. I want to see my players know what they did on Wednesday. It will take time [to get over] and we have to live with that feeling. But what we lived was incredible, we were lucky to live it. There is not an activity in this world you can put in these limits. We have to live with these situations, accept them. It will be on our minds, but looking back it will help us to move forward. These players have the opportunity to show they can do that.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said that the Citizens have a good chance of progressing in the Champions League despite the recent setback against Tottenham Hotspur on the road. The Citizens suffered a slender 1-0 loss to the north London side during the first leg of the quarter-final stage, and the club now find themselves in a situation where they must find the scoresheet to stay alive in the competition.

Speaking after the game, Guardiola admitted that the result was not the best but it was not the worst either. He added that comebacks are essential at the final stages of the elite competition and he is hopeful that the team can turn things around at the Etihad Stadium next week, he said: "It’s not the best result but not the worst one. You know in this competition when you want to go through into the last stages you have to make these kind of comebacks.

Former France international Dominique Bijotat believes Paul Pogba has changed into a team player which has brought the best out of him. The midfielder recently failed to find the scoresheet during Les Bleus’ 4-1 win over Moldova in the European qualifier but he was nonetheless influential with his movement and distribution during the game.

Speaking after the match, Bijotat praised the qualities of Pogba, who has become more of a team player unlike previously where he was trying hard to influence play by himself, he said: “Paul Pogba played a great match. Yes, he had more time without a real opponent, yes he hardly had to defend but technically he is at the top of the world.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that both Benjamin Mendy and Vincent Kompany would continue to remain on the sidelines ahead of the weekend’s FA Cup meeting against Newport County on the road. The Citizens are going through a tough schedule where they have matches across four competitions and Guardiola has admitted that there will be minor changes in every game.

Speaking to reporters, Guardiola confirmed that Mendy and Kompany remain sidelines alongside long-term absentee Eliaquim Mangala. He added that he is aware of the forthcoming schedule where they have a match in every three days but he prepared to assess his option game by game with each fixture holding importance.

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Paul Scholes has revealed his delight after the Red Devils secured the services of Anthony Martial on a long-term basis. The France international endured a difficult spell under Jose Mourinho where he has in-and-out of the starting lineup and there was a time where he was reluctant to extend his contract.

However, that situation has changed with the dismissal of the Portuguese and the Frenchman has now eventually signed a fresh five-year contract with the club with the option of a further 12 months. Speaking on BBC Five Live, Scholes has praised his former side for getting the deal done with the Frenchman, who had previously been eyeing a potential move elsewhere.

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has confirmed the signing of Benjamin Pavard from fellow Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart. The France international is scheduled to join the Bavarian giants at the end of the season after penning a five-year contract with the reigning German champions.

Speaking to reporters, Salihamidzic confirmed the signing for the highly-rated defender saying: “We’ve signed Benjamin Pavard for 1 July 2019. He’s put pen to paper on a five-year contract. He’s a young player and a world champion. We’re very glad and proud to have gained such a player for FC Bayern.”

Manchester United’s caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been impressed with the way Paul Pogba has performed on the playing field of late. The France international found himself out-of-favour under ex-boss Jose Mourinho but the arrival of Solskjaer has meant that he has instantly been drafted into the lineup.

In the past two matches, Pogba has already performed at a much higher level with two goals and two assists and Solskjaer has been pleased with this improvement shown, he quipped: “I cannot do anything for their performances on the pitch. Paul has done it himself. It’s up to them when they get a chance.

France international Antoine Griezmann has revealed that he is optimistic of winning the Ballon d’Or title, though he is not obsessed for the same. The Atletico Madrid star played a leading role at the summer World Cup with four goals and two assists as Les Bleus went on to secure the second global crown in their history.

Since then, there has been plenty of discussions regarding who could win the Ballon d’Or and when asked on the same, Griezmann acknowledged that he would like to claim the prestigious accolade. However, he added that his countrymen do not generally chase after individual success over the overall efforts of the team.