Ernesto Valverde praises Manchester United star Paul Pogba amid Barcelona links

The Frenchman is reportedly being lined up as an heir to Andres Iniesta (Picture: Getty)

Ernesto Valverde has praised Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba amid rumours Barcelona are hoping to sign the Frenchman before the transfer window closes.
Pogba is currently still on holiday after his World Cup exploits having resisted manager Jose Mourinho’s plea to return early, unlike Romelu Lukaku, Phil Jones and Marcus Rashford.
Reports emerged recently claiming Pogba had used his time off to meet with Barca sporting director Eric Abidal in Los Angeles, with the Catalan club seeing the Frenchman as the ideal signing to fill the void left by Andres Iniesta.

Valverde reportedly wants a left-sided central midfielder – Pogba’s preferred role (Getty)

Valverde did little to play down the speculation at a press conference ahead of Barca’s pre-season friendly clash with AC Milan in Santa Clara, praising Pogba’s ability.
The Spanish coach said: ‘Pogba is a great player, who is on another team and we are always very respectful of the players on other teams. We respect the player and the teams they are on.’

He continued: ‘Is the transfer market closed for signing more players? We’ll see how the market is going, but I’m the coach and my idea is to take advantage of the players we have.’
Although the deadline for Premier League transfers is Thursday, foreign clubs are free to make signings up until the end of the month.

Pogba is currently on holiday after lifting the World Cup with France (Picture: Getty)

Barcelona confirmed the arrival of Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich on Friday, though are still believed to be keen on bringing in a long-term heir to Iniesta.
Pogba – who had several run-ins with Mourinho last season – is believed to be flattered by the possibility of inheriting Iniesta’s iconic No.8 jersey, though United will not allow him to leave easily.