Former Manchester United player Owen Hargreaves has had a few things to say concerning the 24 year old midfielder Paul Pogba who became the most expensive football signing ever after completing his move from Juventus over to Manchester United on August of 2016 for a transfer fee of £89 million.

After Paul Pogba´s transfer to Manchester United was done, expectations were high for the French player as supporters of the club and of the player himself wanted to see him showcasing his skills as well as proving why the Premier League club decided to splash out so much cash in a performer.

Unfortunately, those expectations were not met as Paul Pogba was a regular starter but he could not really shine as his performances were average at best. There wasn´t anything really game-changing from the French player who became the most expensive signing in the history of the sport.

During Pogba´s debut season in Old Trafford, he managed to make 30 appearances where the French player scored 5 goals and provided his teammates with 4 assists.
Owen Hargreaves has emerged and defended Paul Pogba as the former Manchester United player said that Pogba is being unfairly judged.

¨People are judging the price-tag, people are judging the haircuts and all these other flash things they see but you look at his stats over the last four seasons: 10 goals and 10 assists, this is what you get, and he’s on track for that¨

“The whole point is he went from a great Juventus team with Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo and he was one player in a great group of players but now, because of the price-tag, he is the focal point, 10 goals and 10 assists, that’s him but he’s going to have to step that up a little bit because the price-tag is so high and the team will expect more from him¨ Owen Hargreaves said.

The current pundit for BT Sport, Hargreaves continues on saying that Pogba indeed has what it takes to become a world-class player but he needs time to properly establish himself in Manchester United.

Simone Pepe has been performing with the Real Madrid jersey since July 10 of 2007, which was the date when the Portuguese defender signed with the Spanish titans for a transfer fee of €30 million.

Ever since then, Pepe has been a fairly regular starter as he has played a significant role for Real Madrid in just about every single season but after 10 years, it seems like Pepe´s time in the Santiago Bernabeu might be reaching it´s end.

The contract of Pepe expires in the summer of 2017 and there are rumors going on claiming that he could be joining another club. Pepe is 34 years old and even though he continues playing at a high level, age is a factor that takes its toll on anyone.

Zinedine Zidane recently talked about Pepe´s current situation as well as the future of the veteran defender and the French manager said: “Pepe’s career has been spectacular. It’s been 10 years where he’s done fantastic things, but with this I’m not telling you what is going to happen next year because I do not know´´

When the player himself was asked about his near future at the Santiago Bernabeu, Pepe was unsure as the Portuguese player replied by saying: ´´My future? As we have a Champions League final around the corner it would be disrespectful to talk about that´´

“The club has more important things to think about at the moment. I’ll wait until the last minute to see what happens. A part of my heart will always be Madridista´´

There have even been rumors emerging linking potential defenders who might be able to replace Pepe in case he does leave during this summer; one of the players that has recently been linked is Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid defender Pepe has claimed that he is ready to stay at the Santiago Bernabeu beyond the end of the season.

The defender is out of contract in the summer, and he has reportedly not been offered a new deal just yet. The club are clearly taking their time about retaining the player, who is 34 years old. Despite his concerns about the age, Pepe has been a regular first-team player for the club. He has been at Madrid since 2007 after having joined from FC Porto. Over the years, he has won the league title, two Champions League trophies, two FIFA Club World Cup medals, and several other trophies.

The defender once again proved his worth to the team by scoring the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid during the weekend. The player also fractured two ribs in the process and will now be out for a considerable period of time.

President Florentino Perez has revealed that the external the contribution of Pepe has been clear for everyone to see. He says that Pepe is an example for all players on and off the field. Even though Real Madrid defender Nacho has been only playing with Pepe in recent years, he says that the Portuguese defender has been a huge influence on his career.

“Until June 30 I am under contract at Real Madrid. As I’ve said before, I will wait for Madrid until the last second, and I will make sacrifices every day to be able to stay here,” said Pepe about his future.”Pepe is an example both on and off the field — he carries Real Madrid in his heart.He has won every trophy there is to win twice during his 10 years at the club: two Champions Leagues, two Leagues, two Club World Cups,” said Perez.

Pepe may just be another soccer star from Europe to migrate to China to pile up the cash in his bank account.

The association of Pepe and Real Madrid does not seem to be going to last much longer and there is every possibility of the defender to take the exit door this winter.

The problem is the contract of Pepe which needs an extension for him to remain at Bernabeu.

While, Madrid is hell bent on a 12-month extension only and not more than that, the player is pretty rigid about the fact that he will not accept a shorter extension than 24 months and because of the firm stance of both sides, it’s looking like a certain separation.

It’s been understood that Madrid had conveyed to Pepe that they would like to keep him for two seasons if that’s what he wants, but, for the time being, they would prefer the extension to be for one season only and then if his form remained decent enough, he would surely get another season’s extension, but, Pepe was not ready for that and turned it down.

Pepe knows that his playing graph is not going upwards now at the age of 34 and that’s why he is looking for some job security for himself. If Madrid can’t provide him that and they want to go ahead with him only on one season at a time basis, then there is no point for him to hang around there because a huge pot of cash is on offer from China anyway.

The reports say that Pepe will be making twice as much a weekly salary as he is making in La Liga at present if he gets himself into the Chinese top flight.

Real Madrid full back Marcelo has completed a decade at Real Madrid as he joined November 14, 2006 from Brazilian outfit Fluminese.

Los Blancos have definitely made a bargain considering they signed the player for €6 million. Predrag Mijatovic is credited with discovering the talented defender. Madrid president Ramon Calderon bought into the potential of the then young player and offered him a seven-year contract.

The then 19-year old Marcelo started slow when he arrived at the Santiago Bernebeu. He made his debut on January 7, 2007 and he played beside his idol Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos. He faced criticisms, as he was poor defensively, but his offensive prowess made up for him. After Carlos left that season, the hole that had to be filled were almost too large for the young player. Gabriel Heinze was a serious competition for the position. It was until the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini that that Marcelo began to steady progress. His brilliant showing ensured he remained through different managers at Madrid.

Marcelo enjoyed time under Mourinho despite injuries hampering him a bit. Under Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Coentrao was his competition. He showed his superiority with a brilliant display when he came on for Coentrao in the 59th minute in the Champions final against Atletico. The decorated player has won two UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, three La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups and a Club World Cup – for winners from each continent.

His consistency in performances earned him a permanent shirt in the Madrid set-up. Of non-Spanish players, he ranks the third in most games played for Real Madrid with his 372 caps. Carlos holds the record with 527 games while Di Stefano has 396 appearances before retiring. Whilst he might not be able to beat his idol’s record, he can become the second.

Euro 2016 champions, Portugal, are set to play their World Cup qualifying games without Real Madrid defender, Pepe

Portugal are poised to play Latvia on November 13 but would be without one of their best hands in defense. Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho is also set to miss the World Cup qualifying match.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos recently confirmed the absence of the stars for the forthcoming game. He claimed that the available players would get the job done.

“I have absolute confidence in my players,” the Euro-winning manager said. He warned that they would face a tough opposition from Latvia: “Latvia are an experienced team who will give us problems and play from the back to catch us on the counter-attack.”

Portugal would have Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo available for the tie. The player picked up an injury in the final of the Euro ’16 game against France. He returned in the extra time to cheer his teammates to victory. He remained injured throughout the summer, but has since returned to regular action for Madrid. He is expected to fire Portugal to victory. There is also the option of Andre Silva who got an hat trick against Faro.

Renato Sanches – the best young player at the Euros – is expected to impress in the game as well. Portugal want a victory badly as they are second in their qualifying group. Switzerland are three points ahead as they thrashed the Euro champions in September.

Zenit St. Petersburg’s Luis Netois is expected to cover for Pepe. Pepe is suspended for two yellow cards in the group, and has picked up a thigh strain ahead of the match. Midfielder Adrien and former United forward Nani are expected to play as they have regained fitness since their return from injury.

Real Madrid’s problems at the back continue after defender Pepe has been ruled out for yet another game along with defensive midfielderCasemiro.

The club only recently added defender Marcelo to the list with the new hamstring injury. The player suffered this problem in the 1-1 draw against Villarreal a few days ago.Casemiro, just a few days ago, was diagnosed with a fractured fibula. The club are up against Las Palmas this weekend and centre back Pepe has also been ruled out of the game after failing to recover from an injury.

The Portuguese was unavailable for the Friday training session. These injuries bring a massive headache to manager Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman was able to win the Champions League title in his first season at the club, but he has much bigger problems this time around. Failure to win yet the league title would be a massive issue considering that Barcelona have dominated the domestic titles over the last decade. As a result,Zidane has to win the league at all costs. At the start of the campaign, things have been looking extremely positive even with the draw against Villarreal.

Real Madrid are top of the table with only two dropped points so far. It is a considerable improvement over the reigning champions Barcelona, who have already suffered a defeat this season. “Following tests carried out today on Marcelo at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, he has been diagnosed with a grade 2 muscle strain in the soleus muscle of his right calf. His recovery will continue to be monitored. Pepe did some individual ball work away from the group, while Marcelo and Casemiro continued with their recovery processes,” said a statement on the Real Madrid official website. Defence is one of the areas where Madrid can improve this season.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edison Cavani said that he is excited by the new challenge offered to him of playing in a more central role.

Indeed with the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United, Cavani has been promoted as the central striker for the French team and said that he is impatient to play in this position.

Edison Cavani has always said stated that he wants to play in a central role, but Laurent Blanc did not give him this chance. And when you know that Paris Saint-Germain had a striker like Zlatan Ibrahimovic it was easy to understand why Edison Cavani was pushed on the wings. But with the arrival of the new coach at Paris Saint-Germain, it is believed that the Uruguay international will be played in a more central role.

Edison Cavani said that it is a big honor to have been trusted in this position. He said that it was a big challenge for him, and he wants to ensure that he meet the expectations. He believes that he will be able to perform better in this position and said that he would be doing his best in order to score goals for Paris Saint-Germain. He believes that with the support of the coach as well as the fans he will be able to perform and score plenty of goals for the French side.

He said that he feels no pressure on him and that he only wants to do his best for the team. He stated that it is an honor for him to be playing for Paris Saint-Germain and that he wants to do everything he can in order to help the team win trophies. The objective of the team is to win the French league and also the Champions League.

With the finals on their heads Portugal needed all the key players to be present and ready to take on the challenge of playing the final game.

That is when Pepe showed his readiness and it came just in time for his country to face the Euro finals against France. The defender confirmed last week that he was fit for taking part in the finals on Sunday. There were talks about the temperament of the player, but he dismissed such rumors, stating that his track record should be sufficient to prove his abilities on the field.

The conduct of Pepe on the field has often been controversial and he told reporters that he was trying to better himself to become a better team member for his country’s team. The semi finals that were played on Wednesday against Wales were missed out by Pepe, the defender who is a native of Brazil. He was suffering from a thigh injury and he also trained away from his team on Friday. However, he confirmed that he would be part of the team that would be playing the finals.

He has contributed in a significant manner as a center in the defense of the country’s team. The first five games of the tournament saw him playing well and not showcase any volatile behavior that he had in previous games. There had been infamous incidents in 2009 when he was banned for 10 games for assaulting an opponent on the field. He defends his behavior by stating that he is demanding of himself and on the field, he wishes to give his team the very best. He has also won several accolades for his team and hence, his contributions should speak for themselves and what pushes him on to achieve more.

Pepe Reina’s father has stated that his son is currently a Napoli player and that he might not be going anywhere during the summer.

Indeed, there are persistent rumors that Pepe Reina might be returning to Liverpool or joining Barcelona in the summer.

With Jurgen Klopp determined to build a side that can challenge for silverware, it has become evident that he will need another goalkeeper in the team. This has given rise to rumors that Liverpool might be making a bid for a player that has played for them for eight years.

Recently, there has been news that Barcelona might also be after the Spanish keeper as they look to strengthen the team. Pepe Reina has gone through the famous Barcelona academy La Masia, and it will be a natural thing to come back to where he started his career.

However, Pepe Reina’s father has denied the rumors and said that no formal bid has been made yet. For him, Reina is a Napoli player and that he has a great respect for the Napoli fan. He said that at the moment there is no news about him returning to Liverpool and that he will be playing at Napoli next season.

He said that his son is in good shape physically and mentally and that he is determined to end his career with Napoli. At the moment there is no news of him going anywhere and that he will continue to do his best for the Italian club. Pepe Reina is currently on holidays with his family after a long season, and his father said that they just want to enjoy themselves at the moment.

Reina joined Napoli last season after leaving Bayern Munich. So far he has made 44 appearances for the club and will hope that there is much more to come.