Jose Mourinho targets central midfielder to give Man Utd squad good balance

Four years on from departing Old Trafford without making a first-team start, the 23-year-old is being trailed by his former club having flourished at Juventus.

The Italian giants have reportedly turned down a world-record transfer bid for Pogba and work continues to add the final piece of the United jigsaw, leading executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward not to travel on the pre-season tour to China

Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have all arrived this summer, with Mourinho now targeting a central midfielder to complete his squad

However, the Portuguese suggested Pogba is one of three players being considered, with Paris St-Germain's Blaise Matuidi another name regularly linked with a move to Old Trafford

"I don't confirm, I don't deny, I cannot tell you," Mourinho told a press conference in Shanghai when asked whether Pogba is on his way to United

"First of all because I don't think it's correct to speak about players from other clubs

He is a Juventus player and he is not a Man United player

"The only thing I can say is that my board, my directors, they did fantastic work to do 75 per cent of the job I asked them to do

"I asked them for four players, to be more accurate I asked for four profiles of players I need

"And I gave them a few options and they did for me 75 per cent of the job with Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan and Bailly

"We just have 25 per cent to do before the 31st of August, so we are in great conditions to have what I would consider a good market for us

"We are calm, we know the profile of player we want

"We have three faces to fill that profile and I am really confident that Mr Woodward and the owners will bring me that profile of player that I think the squad needs to have a good balance."

Source : PA

Source: PA