Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has warned Paul Pogba that he must match his £100million fee with top performances on the pitch.
Pogba is close to be unveiled as a United, after the Premier League club agreed a world-record deal with Juventus for the player.
Ferdinand argues that Pogba is not after the money and is determined to become the best player in the world.
“I speak to Paul. I know him.” Ferdinand said. “For Paul it’s all about football. It’s not about money.
“The biggest things for me and my family [when I moved to United] was not the money. It was: ‘What’s Giggsy like? What’s Roy Keane like?’
“Paul’s like that. He loves football. It’s all about improving and being the best.
“When he left I asked him why and he said: ‘I want to be the best player in the world.’ He’s on the right track.
“It is big pressure, but my biggest pressure wasn’t on the football pitch at Old Trafford.
“My biggest pressure was on the training pitch with those players. It was walking into the dressing room knowing that they were thinking: ‘What does £30million get you then? Can he win us the league? Can he help be the bedrock of this team?’
“That’s the pressure that I felt most when I went into Manchester United, and putting that pressure on myself to write myself into the history of the club through success and winning trophies.”
Ferdinand, who cost United £30million in 2002, believes that the fuss about the high fee will go away, if Pogba produces for Jose Mourinho’s team.
“If Paul goes there for £100million, stays there and they win five out of 10 [Premier League] trophies, you’ll look back and say, ‘Well done, good business.
“The kid in a Juventus shirt produces magic moments, moments of high class, game-changing moments.
“For £100million, you want someone who’s going to develop into someone who can dictate a game, can win games on his own, can drag his team over the line.
“Can he develop into that player? Yes, I think he’s got the potential to do that. Is he worth £100million? I don’t know, is anyone worth £20million?
“I was cheap at that point! At £18million and then £30million, it’s relative.
“The money that Man United are bringing in now, commercially, allows them to spend that money.”
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