Manchester United: Jose Mourinho Transfer Target Blasted As 'Waste Of Money'

Manchester United transfer target Paul Pogba
France midfielder Paul Pogba at Stade de France, Paris, July 10. The Juventus player is a primary transfer target for Manchester United. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty

Is Manchester United gaining a £100 million crown jewel in Paul Pogba, or is it admitting a £100 million mistake?

The club infamously let the Frenchman leave on a free transfer to Juventus in 2012, where he has grown over the past four years into one of the world's best midfielders.

Now United, under new manager Jose Mourinho, wants Pogba back at Old Trafford for what will be a record fee, and one respected figure from the world of football believes the transfer has the potential to send up the club's current transfer policy.

"(Pogba left) for free. And they want him back for £100 million! Who's the sporting director at Manchester United?" former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit said.

"Imagine what you can do with £100 million. Imagine you have given away your best car and, after a couple of years, you miss it so you want it back. Would you be happy with that? It's a waste of money for me. For £100 million, I would buy (Luis) Suarez.

"Pogba has a great future, but it is too early. I don't like the situation around him all the time. We are making him out to be a big star, but he is not a big star for me."

Mourinho arrived at United in May and has been busy so far in the transfer market, splashing out on Eric Bailly, the defender from Villarreal, ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and former Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

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