Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has said that Manchester United have made a huge statement by signing Paul Pogba for a world record fee. The Old Trafford club had signed the Frenchman for the first time in 2009 from Le Havre but was later released by the club on a free transfer in 2012. Pogba decided to join Juventus in Italy where he made a name for himself and was wanted by United again.
The France international returned to Manchester United after winning four successive Serie A titles with Juventus. The transfer from Juventus to Manchester United made Pogba the most expensive player in the history as he broke the transfer record in a deal worth €105 million.
Schmeichel said that the signing means that United are still a force to be reckoned with even though they have been struggling to win major silverware since Alex Ferguson departed the club in 2013. The United keeper also had positive words about his former club’s financial ethics as he said that United does not depend on rich owners like Premier League rivals City and Chelsea do.
Schmeichel spoke about Pogba’s transfer to Omnisport where he said, “He went away, spent four very successful years with Juventus and now Man United brought him back and paid an absolute fortune. You can argue how you can let him go in the first place, but the important thing is the statement that he is the best player in the world for that position.”
The former goalkeeper also mentioned that United does not have rich owners to splash the cash but still have the money. He said, “And we don't care how much he costs, we can pay him. So can Man City, so can Chelsea, so can other clubs, but we can too. We make our own money; we don't have someone sat back putting the money in. We make our own money and that's how successful we are as Manchester United and we can buy the players we want. And I think that's a great statement, we as supporters haven't seen that for three years.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had become one of the most talked about signing’s in the transfer window as he joined the Red Devils from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were the first two players which were brought in by Jose Mourinho to Old Trafford as he put his stamp on dynamics of the team.
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Schmeichel also said that he feels excited about the new season as Mourinho has done good business in the window. Schmeichel added that he is confident that the Portuguese can lead United to the League title in the 2016/17 season.
The Danish goalkeeper said, “We've paid over the odds for so many players and we've thought: 'Why are we paying this? What is this player going to do to bring Manchester United up to the next level and back to where we were?’ But now, with four great signings, Mourinho's done that. He's picked four really good players, players that will fit into the team straight away, and they have done.”
