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Manchester United manager Mourinho reveals Pogba is not his only midfield target

The fourth is a central midfielder and while Pogba is the top target, Mourinho said cryptically that the player who eventually arrives “might not be the one you think”.

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Jose Mourinho insists he is considering various other midfield options aside from Paul Pogba in this transfer window.

Pogba’s return to the club he left for free in 2012 was placed under doubt on Thursday after his agent Mino Raiola posted a message on Twitter.

Manchester United arrived in China for their pre-season tour on Wednesday but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was not on the plane.

Although this would appear to be a positive development for United, the Spanish publication also noted that Real Madrid might have to keep hold of the player.

“I gave them a few options and they did for me 75 percent of the job with (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, (Henrikh) Mikitharyan and (Eric) Bailly and they have just 25 percent to do until the 31st of August”.

Pogba’s future has been the subject of intense speculation, but United are thought to be leading the race having reportedly submitted a world-record bid for the 23-year-old.

“Maybe there’s a couple more to come, you never know, but I think we all feel strong as a group and it’s important now to sort out the tactical side of what Jose wants us to do in games”.

“We’ve done a couple of weeks now and I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and obviously all the others players have talked as well”, he said. A year ago I was out a bit with injury and now I can start fresh and really give it a good go to try and sneak into the first team’.

“There is no deal done regarding Paul Pogba, lots of bla bla bla”, Raiola said.

“But there was a fear about how long it was going to take or if I was I was even going to be back playing football”.

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“If any club wants one of my players and it speaks about him, so Paul Pogba is a Juve player and what we are trying to do, we are trying to do in an honest correct institutional way”. We need a fourth player with a certain profile and we’re going to get it. But as I went through it [the recovery process] I knew I was coming back and I’m not looking back, I’m just looking forward now.

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