PAUL POGBA’S Manchester United career is over with both player and club desperate for a parting of the ways.
His Red Devils team-mates are convinced there is no way back for the Frenchman, who fears the club remain two or three years behind Manchester City and Liverpool.
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United’s £89million record signing believes he cannot afford to hang around as he chases more titles.
Pogba, 26, has made just two sub appearances since late September due to an ankle injury.
United boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer claimed the midfielder would be in his squad for the New Year’s Day trip to Arsenal.
But he was absent and Solskjaer revealed he now needs an ankle op that would keep him out for the whole of January.
Real Madrid remain his most likely destination, though that could depend on the future of Toni Kroos — with the German potentially moving the other way.
Kroos came close to joining from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 but ended up at the Spanish giants.
If no such deal is agreed, Real will want Kroos, 29, to move somewhere else to make space for Pogba. United slapped a £180m price-tag on Pogba in the summer to scare of potential buyers.
But things have changed since then and he could now leave for £100m.
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Solskjaer has publicly supported Pogba, hailing him as one of the world’s best midfielders.
Yet behind the scenes, the United chief has grown frustrated with him.
He was even prepared to let him go last summer if the club’s valuation was met and could reinvest the money.
There was confusion after their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal as Solskjaer initially said Pogba’s own advisors told him the player needed an ankle op.
Solskjaer said: “He’s been advised to have an op by his people and he’ll probably do that.”
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It suggested Pobga’s camp was calling the shots. Yet Solskjaer later said United’s medical staff agreed with the decision.
Early this week Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola took a swipe at United, saying he would never send one of his players there again.
He rapped: “They would also ruin Maradona, Pele and Maldini.”
