KEY POINTS
- Paul Pogba left Man Utd this summer
- Man Utd recently parted ways with Ronaldo
- Man Utd are now looking for a replacement for the Portuguese forward
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has opened up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s attitude at Manchester United.
Both Pogba and Ronaldo had two stints at Manchester United, while they also represented Juventus in their respective careers. While Pogba returned for his second spell at Old Trafford in 2016, Ronaldo moved from Juventus to Manchester in the summer of 2021.
Pogba shared the pitch with Ronaldo 20 times in the 2021-22 season. Despite their close history with Manchester United and Juventus, it was the only season where Pogba and Ronaldo were teammates. But the little time they spent together was sufficient for the French midfielder to understand Ronaldo’s attitude and discipline toward soccer.
“The discipline of Ronaldo was unbelievable – I’ve never seen this. The discipline is in another level. I see professional players, a lot of players, they’re very professional they come early, they all do recoveries and stuff like that,” Pogba said in a recent interview.
“But someone that’s been there every single day and doesn’t stop – that’s Cristiano. Every day! Some days you’re like, I’m ok! But he doesn’t miss one day. His discipline to do it every single day – this is something,” added Pogba, who missed the Qatar World Cup due to an injury.
Pogba’s good words for Ronaldo have come at the right time, especially since questions are being raised about the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s attitude and discipline this season. Before Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United, he had several conflicts with head coach Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese star also said he didn’t respect Ten Hag.
Pogba did not accept an extension from Manchester United this summer and instead chose to return to Juventus as a free agent.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who finished as the leading scorer for Manchester United with 24 goals last campaign, recently parted ways with the Old Trafford side on mutual consent.
It was reported that Manchester United will be on the lookout for a forward in the January transfer window, with Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix coming up as their latest target. Manchester United have also been linked with PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo, who is being seen as a long-term replacement for Ronaldo.
