According to reports, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is open to swapping Paul Pogba for Toni Kroos at the end of the season.
The reason for this is mainly due to the breakdown of the relationship between Mourinho and Pogba. The ‘Special One’ recently said that there are no ill feelings between himself and the Frenchman, but this is apparently not the case behind the scenes.
United have long been linked with the signature of Kroos, and he was even linked with the club when he was with Bayern Munich before he eventually joined Madrid in 2014.
Pogba reportedly feels that his recent underwhelming form is due to the fact that Mourinho is playing him out of position. Mou denies this and thinks that he is playing him in his best position.
There is a chance that Madrid may be open to the deal should it be offered and it will be more of a win for Los Blancos if such a deal does go ahead. Los Blancos are likely to undergo a squad revolution at the end of the season due to their poor performances this term, and there are very few managers in the world of football who would turn down the opportunity to work with a player of Pogba’s calibre.
If Kroos arrives at United, he will bring in a winning mentality to the Red Devils. During his time in Spain, he has won La Liga title as well as two Champions League titles. Kroos is also a quality player and has so far gone on to net four goals and record several assists from 29 appearances in all competitions this season and has been one of Madrid’s better players in what has been a disastrous season by their standards.
However on the other hand, at 28-years-old, the German is at peak and will not get any better. Furthermore, if United sign him, they will be taking a gamble as the player is not tested at Premier League level and could fail to adapt to the demands of English football. If Kroos does fail at United, it is unlikely that Mourinho’s side will get a huge amount on a sale if they were to sell as he would be past his peak at that point.
Pogba meanwhile has proven that he can churn out quality performances in England and may just be going through a bad patch which every player goes through during their careers. We are also yet to see the best of Pogba as he is soon to be 25-years-old and he could continue refining his game and getting better during the next three years.
United should certainly consider having more patience with Pogba and think carefully about this deal before they take action. If things end up going wrong, they could be the ones who will be the bigger losers and incur a significant loss. Perhaps if they want to let Pogba go, they should instead sell him. That will be less off a risk from a United perspective.
