Paul Pogba Praises Aurelien Tchouameni as United Eye Move
Paul Pogba had already given Aurelien Tchouameni a clear endorsement in 2021, and it has resurfaced as Manchester United sit near the top of their midfield shortlist for the Real Madrid midfielder. Pogba called him “very, very good” after they won the Nations League together with France.
Pogba and Tchouameni
The former Manchester United midfielder did not soften the point. “Very, very good. He's not a boy, he's a man. It's a pleasure to play next to him,” Pogba said to RTL in 2021. He added: “He brings a lot of energy. A lot of energy, extraordinary technical and physical quality. We wish him to play a lot more games and that I am always by his side.”
That assessment came from a brief spell together with France, but the timing now gives it fresh weight. Tchouameni has become a key figure in Didier Deschamps' midfield, while Pogba has not played for France since 2022.
Manchester United’s midfield shortlist
United’s interest places Tchouameni in the middle of a bigger squad decision. He is being discussed as one of the club’s leading midfield targets, and Real Madrid could only consider letting him go if they secure a quality replacement.
One name already linked with Madrid is Manchester City midfielder Rodri. That link adds another layer to the situation around Tchouameni, because Madrid’s willingness to move him depends on whether they can land the player they want next.
Varane’s Madrid-to-Manchester view
Raphael Varane’s own move from Spain to Manchester offers the clearest recent reference point in this story. He joined United in 2021 after winning 18 trophies during his decade in Spain, and later said on The Bridge podcast in March last year that he wanted “to experience something else” after Madrid.
Varane also told Tchouameni that in England, and Manchester in particular, “you feel the passion for football every day.” If United keep pushing, that is the environment the Madrid midfielder would be walking into — with Pogba’s old description already sitting in the background as an early scouting note.
