Paul Pogba leaving in January would be “the best thing for Manchester United”, says Paul Ince, with the French midfielder continuing to be an unwelcome distraction.
Questions continue to be asked of the World Cup winner's ongoing presence at Old Trafford, with his agent, Mino Raiola, keeping the rumour mill ticking over with regular public outbursts.
Pogba has claimed to be fully committed to the United cause, as he remains under contract until the summer of 2022, but his representatives are offering a different version of events.
Raiola claims “it’s over” for his client in Manchester, with plans already being drawn up to get the 27-year-old out of his current surroundings.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now having to field questions on Pogba’s future when attention should be focused elsewhere, with fires needing to be fought that are not of United’s making.
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With that in mind, Ince believes a parting of ways would now be the best option for all concerned, with another window of transfer opportunity set to open in the New Year.
The former Red Devils star told Stadium Astro : “The best thing for Manchester United is for Paul Pogba to leave.
“I actually thought, when they signed [Donny] van de Beek, that they were preparing for Pogba to leave.
“But they clearly aren’t as Van de Beek didn’t get on [against Manchester City], which is embarrassing for me.
“I don’t envisage him being at the club by the summer. He’s got to go - he wants to go. I think it’s best that both parties part ways.”
Ince believes United should have acted sooner to prevent an unwelcome Pogba saga from spiralling out of control, with the ex-England international saying Sir Alex Ferguson would never have allowed one player to make so many headlines.
He added: “Under [Jose] Mourinho, there were so many problems coming out in the papers.
“That would never happen under Sir Alex Ferguson, never. It’s from day one that this has happened.
“He’s never really adhered himself to the fans, despite joining as a young kid. His performances were very inconsistent and he started telling fans that he wanted to leave, so they never really took to Paul Pogba.
“Every week, every month, we see something coming out of Old Trafford about Pogba, his agent, and it upsets the club, the fans, the changing rooms.
“It wouldn’t have happened in our time with Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes. We would deal with players.”
