There is one condition, however. That condition being he won’t actually be captain
Paul Pogba is set to be offered a captaincy role at Manchester United next season by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as current club captain Antonio Valencia leaves the team this summer after a decade spent at Old Trafford.
The bad news for Pogba, however, is that he will only be moved into the position of vice-captain, with Ashley Young, who frequently wore the armband in Valencia’s absence this season, becoming club captain full time, as reported by The Times.
Young is the most senior player at the club and as Valencia made only six appearances last term he is well accustomed to leading the team during matches.
History could repeat itself, however, as Solskjaer is reportedly looking to sign a new first-choice right back in the summer transfer wind0w – with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka rumoured – who could, therefore, supplant the 33-year-old utility player in the starting XI and lead to Pogba becoming captain more often than not.
If the move is indeed intended to persuade Pogba to stay at the club amid interest from Real Madrid then it probably would have worked better the other way round, with Young continuing in his role as vice-captain as he only extended his contract by a year and will surely leave the club in the summer of 2020 anyway.
Solskjaer has praised Pogba’s leadership qualities previously, stating in January: “He’s a leader. You see the personality. He loves playing football. He’s a larger-than-life character.
“When the performances come as well, that marries together as a good leader and you see what it meant to him winning the World Cup. So for me, yes, he’s captain material.”
It is believed that Solskjaer making Pogba part of his leadership team will keep him settled at Manchester United, but only time will tell.
