Wayne Rooney feels it’s ‘better’ if Paul Pogba leaves Manchester United with Newcastle keen

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Wayne Rooney has told Sky Sports it will be ‘better’ for Paul Pogba if he leaves Manchester United when is contract expires this June, amid reported transfer interest from Newcastle.

The Red Devils icon feels the Frenchman has struggled to live up to expectations since he returned to Old Trafford. Manchester United chiefs struck an £89m deal with Juventus in 2016 to make Pogba the world’s most expensive player, four years after he left for £1.5m.

Jose Mourinho hailed Pogba as a player who could be ‘the heart of the club’ for a decade at the time of his capture. But he is now likely to leave after six years, which have returned a Carabao Cup and Europa League title. He also helped France win the World Cup in 2018.

Rooney sees a lot of differences between the Pogba that turns out for Manchester United and the one for France. The Derby County boss feels Les Bleus continually get more out of the 29-year-old than any Old Trafford gaffer has. Now, it is ‘probably’ for the best to part.

Newcastle are monitoring Pogba’s situation in view of a free transfer once his contract at Manchester United expires this summer. The Sun report Toon chiefs and their Aston Villa counterparts are keen, but Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are favourites.

Rooney feels it’s ‘better’ for Paul Pogba to leave Man Utd with Newcastle keen

Pogba has no interest in rushing a decision on a future at or away from Manchester United with Newcastle keen. The Telegraph note he is ready to wait until the summer to listen to any offers, and he should expect to make in excess of £200k-a-week in a Bosman transfer.

Plenty of clubs will likely sound out the conditions of securing his services in a free deal, as well. And Rooney would urge Pogba to leave Manchester United for the sake of his career, as the Newcastle transfer target has not made the impact he wanted during his time there.

“It’s got to a point where it’s probably better for him to move on,” Rooney said. “If Paul is honest with himself, he probably hasn’t had the impact he’d have liked since he returned to Manchester United. I watch him for France, and he’s a completely different player.

“The ability, vision and control of the game is always there for France. It hasn’t quite worked at United for him, and there’s a few players they need to let go of.”