Graeme Souness reacts to Paul Pogba to Man City transfer rumours ahead of Man Utd exit

Graeme Souness says he was “astounded” to read the rumours linking Paul Pogba with a move to Manchester City this summer.

Pogba is out of contract with Manchester United on July 1 and poised to leave the club on a free transfer. The 29-year-old midfielder was United’s record signing following an £89million transfer from Juventus in 2016 but has largely failed to live up to his billing at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid , Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have all been touted as potential destinations for Pogba, who has been earning just shy of £300,000-a-week at United. But the Daily Mail reported this week that City are exploring the option of signing the Frenchman from their arch rivals.

Former Liverpool midfielder Souness has been one of the most regular critics of Pogba during his United career and, unsurprisingly, he does not believe he would make a good signing for Man City.

“You can imagine my reaction when I read yesterday that Pogba was being linked with a summer move to Manchester City. Astounded covers it,” he wrote for The Times . “I won’t say it defies football logic because that commodity is in rare supply these days but such a signing would run counter to the way Pep Guardiola likes to run a football team.

“For a start he wants his players ready to put in the hard yards – and the hard yards in the big games when City are up against it. He wants them to have the discipline and selflessness to appreciate their role in the City gameplan and execute accordingly.

“Pogba probably has as much talent if not more than Bernardo Silva or Kevin de Bruyne but which two of this trio would you rely on most to carry out the manager’s instructions for the full 90? In which of Manchester United’s big games this