Real Madrid do not need the “baggage” which comes with Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, says Steve McManaman, with Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen considered to be a more suitable target.
Speculation continues to suggest that the France international could soon be heading to Santiago Bernabeu.
Zinedine Zidane is known to be a big fan of fellow countryman Pogba and would welcome the opportunity to add another World Cup winner to his ranks in the Spanish capital.
Former Blancos star McManaman has concerns, though, over the 26-year-old.
For him, Pogba offers too much of a distraction away from the field to be considered a useful asset, with Eriksen a better alternative as the Dane could be acquired for a fraction of the price as his contract at Spurs runs down.
McManaman told HorseRacing.net: “What Pogba has shown in England, I know Real Madrid have gone cold on him but I know that Zinedine Zidane likes him, however I don’t think that signing him is a necessity now for Real Madrid.
“Firstly, he hasn’t really played this season and secondly there’s a load of baggage around him which Real Madrid probably don’t need at this minute in time.
“Real Madrid have to do some in-house clearing themselves.
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“Eriksen on the other hand has played in England for a number of years, he’s going to be available on a free contract at the end of the season, so you’re getting a readymade bargain if that makes sense.
“If you can bring him in now for a small fee then that makes absolute perfect sense, however there will be a host of teams after Christian Eriksen and it all depends on whether he wants to stay in this country.
“If he wants to stay in this country then Manchester United would be a natural fit for him, but if he wants to go to Italy or Spain then certainly somebody will take him because if he wants to go to Spain he can sign a contract now and go at the end of the season.
“It all depends on his personal opinion. Whether he’s good enough to play for Real Madrid is a different matter, because the midfield they’ve got are in good form at the moment.
“I saw against Getafe that they were back to the midfield three of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric and of course Valverde is also there who’s playing really well, so they’ve got a number of players.
“He has to weigh up whether he’s going to be the big fish, because if he goes to Manchester United then he could be the star man, but if he goes to Madrid then he won’t be the star man.
“However, there’s no doubt that he will have the pick of European teams to choose from.”
Pogba is currently sidelined at United with another ankle injury while Eriksen is struggling for regular minutes under Jose Mourinho as he is no longer a long-term solution for Spurs.
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