Carlton Cole: Pogba loves and encourages Real Madrid attention
Former West Ham and Chelsea striker Carlton Cole has said that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba loves attention and will encourage transfer speculation.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer following three seasons playing his football at Old Trafford, something that Pogba himself will “love” according to Cole.
Talking on Yahoo Sport UK’s The Football Show, Cole said: “Sometimes you get players, and Pogba is one of them, that will encourage teams and encourage the speculation as well. They will play off it just to get brownie points to say look, I do not have to just stay here, I can go somewhere else.
“The team might have come in just to enquire - it does not mean that they are going to buy. Once you have someone like Pogba who has that inkling that maybe there is an opportunity there he will play on that. I will go and ask him ‘what is going on? Are you going to Real Madrid?’ and he will say ‘yeah I spoke to them yesterday’, but it’s all a lie really, he did not speak to them, it was just speculation in the paper, but Pogba is that kind of guy, he loves the attention doesn’t he.”
Cole, who is now coaching the West Ham United under 18 side following the conclusion of his playing career, also feels that 26 year old Pogba hasn’t deserved his move to the European Champions due to his current form.
Cole said: “Hopefully for Manchester United he stays because a fully fit, focused Pogba is only good for Man United. He has to have a good season, on his form now I do not understand why a team like Real Madrid are coming in for him.”
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“He is not playing that great. He’s a good player, everyone knows that but you need to be on form to really be knocking on the door for a team like Real Madrid to come in for you.
“You do not really leave a team like Man United really. He is a very talented player so you get them team to build around you. I do not get why he would want to leave.”
The 35 year old added that transfer speculation created by a player can affect the form of the team, something Cole says he has seen before during his time as a player.
Cole also thinks it could be an additional reason for Manchester United’s recent drop in form, concluding that other players in the United team may be too comfortable as well.
He said: “As soon as a team comes in and the player wants to leave it does affect the team.
“Arsene Wenger said it, ‘the honeymoon period is over’. I think now you are going to have to see the real Man United players come up. I think sometimes when you do have a new manager that comes in, as a player you really do try that extra 30 percent. It’s just the way, it’s human mentality I think.
“As soon as you start to feel a bit more comfortable with the manager, the manager likes you and you’re in the team, you start to get a bit more complacent and I think that’s what’s happening there.
“I think Ole needs to get his troops rounded up and tell them they need to keep on going or they won’t be in the team. They need that fear factor that they won’t be playing every week.”
Manchester United take on Cole’s former club West Ham United in Saturday’s late kick-off.
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