Mino Raiola Admits January Exit for Paul Pogba Is Unlikely

Mino Raiola has backtracked on his comments surrounding Paul Pogba's future at Manchester United, now claiming he was simply voicing his opinion, rather than speaking directly for his client.

Just last week, the super agent melodramatically declared that Pogba would be leaving Old Trafford. He told Italian press that his client was 'unhappy' and that his second spell at United was over.

This came just days after Pogba had put his name in the headlines for the right reasons after scoring a stunning equaliser against West Ham.

Raiola's comments naturally led to plenty of renewed speculation over where Pogba would go next, though concrete offers have not been forthcoming - or so it would seem. The closest we got was a report from The Mirror claiming that Juventus are keen, but only if an initial six-month loan deal can be struck.

Pogba hasn't outright denounced his agent's antics but did take to Instagram to assure fans his loyalties lie in Manchester. He hit out at criticisms of his commitment, but said that he is '1,000% involved' with the future of the club,

And now, per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Raiola has taken a pretty huge step back from his earlier claims.

“Pogba will have a great future. In England, they're very sensitive when you talk about Pogba," he said. "I’ve just expressed my thoughts. I’ve said that Paul can leave in the summer, it’s hard to do top deals in January.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for his part, has kept a lid on things, but has made no secret of his frustrations at the agent who once cited the abolition of slavery laws in a bizarre Twitter tirade against the manager. The Norwegian said the situation would not influence his team selections and has used Pogba in both matches since.