Pogba fits into Fergie´s plans

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Paul Pogba is close to playing in the first team.

The Frenchman has been the topic of much discussion over the last few months with the possibility of a potential money-spinning move away tipped. Ferguson, though, has played down that possibility.

“He (Pogba) has got an agent who’s obviously become a bit difficult, but w’’re negotiating with this agent and we want the boy to stay,” Ferguson told reporters.

“If he doesn’t want to stay, then there’s not a lot you can do about it.”

“We have an option on his contract that takes us into a year-and-a-half away, so in that respect there’s not a great emergency about it.”

“But we’d like the boy to sign a contract and, if he’ like to be a Manchester United player, then he knows what to do.”

“You hope he gets the right advice, but it’s down to the individual also. Matt Busby summed it up perfectly, that you don’t need to chase money at a club like Manchester United, it will eventually find you.”

“If you’re good enough, you will earn money and become rich playing for Manchester United.”

“It’s one of these situations that they can chase the money early in their career, but at the end, it’s not the same as if they’d stayed here. He just needs to look round about him to realise that.”

Despite the contract wrangle, Ferguson looks set to give Pogba a chance to earn his stripes.

“Pogba is progressing very well,” he said.

“He is a possibility because he is a big strong lad, he’s a good athlete and is improving and developing well. Since he came to the club, we have seen the progress he has made.”

That progress suggests the United boss is prepared to use his squad rather than bolster it in the January transfer window.

And the Scot does not regard that as a gamble, despite the number of high-profile absentees the club are currently having to deal with.

“We’re not panicking. We’ve got enough experience in the staff to cope with these things,” he said.

“We know it happens and there’s no point crying about it. You just get on with it, there’s nothing else you can do. You’ve got injuries, deal with it.

“We’ve got players capable of wearing the red jersey and they’ll wear it with complete confidence they can do well.”

“I don’t know why people keep going on about (buying in January). It has never been a route we have taken.”