ZINEDINE ZIDANE INSISTS his meeting with Paul Pogba in Dubai was “pure chance” — but the Real Madrid boss will not disclose what they discussed.
Manchester United star Pogba, who has been in Dubai as part of his recovery from an ankle problem, was photographed meeting Zidane during his trip to the region for the Dubai Artificial Intelligence in Sport (DAIS) Conference and Exhibition.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he had “no problem at all” with one of his most important players being pictured speaking with the head coach of a club who are among the favourites to try to sign him.
Pogba was heavily linked with a move to Madrid in the previous transfer window after indicating he wanted a new challenge and it is likely the France international will be the subject of rumours once more in January.
Zidane is not prepared to look ahead to the next transfer window just yet, but he would not go into detail about his chat with his compatriot.
“It was pure chance,” he told a news conference on Friday when asked about the meeting. “He was there and I was doing the talk and, as we know each other, we spoke. But it’s personal — I’m not going to tell you what we talked about.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, we crossed paths, we stopped, and we talked.
“There are a lot of options, for every club [in January]. When we come to this date, the clubs will decide. We’re going to play with 11 players tomorrow [Saturday, against Real Mallorca] and there will be players on the bench. We’ll find a solution.
“We’ll be able to sign players until the end of January, but what matters to me is the game [against Mallorca]. I’m not thinking about reinforcements. That’s a long way off.”
Zidane’s immediate concern is Saturday’s trip to Mallorca, which Madrid will make without the injured Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Lucas Vazquez.
Zidane hinted he may choose to call on Federico Valverde in midfield, given his limited options.
Modric won’t be there, Bale won’t be there. Kroos won’t be with us, either, nor will Lucas…,” he said. “We’re always playing, travelling and we never stop, so this can happen.
“[Valverde] is very good, like everyone, but we have 25 players and I have to choose the 11 and the 18 for every game. He can play box-to-box and that’s important. He has personality, he wants to do well all the time, he’s very demanding of himself and that’s good for improvement.”
Given Karim Benzema’s form this season, it looks unlikely striker Luka Jovic will make only a third LaLiga start since his reported €60million transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Zidane, though, insists the 21-year-old will get his chance to impress.
“He’s not discouraged. He knows the situation,” he added of Jovic, who has played just 218 minutes this season for his club.
“He’s a player who just arrived and he’s much better, he’s speaking Spanish bit by bit, training well and I will be using him. He’s not played much so far, but I’ll use him.”
Slippy G knowns how to win a league. Oh wait
Get in, love it. Making a contest of it Rangers, Stevie making a cracking start to management.
@Marty Morrisey: Rangers are rank rotten ,Terrible side ,Celtic will pump them next week.
@Midland Celt: And yet they lie 1 point off the Pumpers.
@Marty Morrisey: BTW With a game in Hand ,
@Midland Celt: like literally pump them?
@Marty Morrisey: you are a sad sad troll .
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: Cheers for the glorious input shorty.
@Marty Morrisey: thanks you sad man . Not sure what the shorty comment is about but f**k me I hope you are under 18 because if not it makes the way you act on the 42 even sadder . Grow up !
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: Glorious input cheers shortie.
@Marty Morrisey: you had the spelling of ‘shorty’ correct the first time. Trolling with illiteracy, Marty, is only a step above fingering a badger.
@Ian Michael O’Carroll: 1 in the stink 2 in the pink like ?
@Ian Michael O’Carroll: fingering a badger. Lol.
Steven Gerard’s Rangers were awful from start to finish. A team completely devoid of ideas. It was great to watch them toil. Morelos gets into great positions and pulled them out of a hole.
I’d imagine Celtic can’t wait for the game on the 29th.
@Ciaran Rice: 3 points all the same.
@Mark Glynn: of course but that doesn’t mask how poor Steven Gerard’s Rangers are.
@Ciaran Rice: To be fair though, they are a growing side..have had to start all over again and are making progress
@Mark Glynn: eh, the side has been getting worse every week. They are now making very few chances and scoring hardly any goals. There also have around the same points total after this round of games as they did last season.
@Ciaran Rice: If celtic win their game in hand it puts 4 points between the teams. A couple weeks back you were giving out that the Premiership has no competition when City were 3 points clear haha
@Turkish: I said the SPFL is more competitive than the EPL this season (and last season), which it is. Celtic are a point ahead. There have been 5 changes for first place in December alone. There are currently only 11 points separating 1st to 8th and 6 different sides have led the league so far this season.
Liverpool have played almost an entire round of games and are still unbeaten. Not much competition there.
@Ciaran Rice: so there not making progress, from having to start in bottom division with a new crop of players-now there in the premiership..
@Mark Glynn: if you think finishing 3rd every season, spending more than any other side whilst winning nothing is progressing then that’s up to you.
@Ciaran Rice: How much more than Celtic did they spend this season?
@Ciaran Rice: what do you mean winning nothing. Rangers secured promotion back to the Premiership having won three promotions in four years.
@The Bloody Nine: think they spent 2-3 million more than Celtic. That is going on the reported £9 million Celtic spent on Edouard, which I don’t believe is the case. The Rangers also spent more than Celtic last summer also.
@Mark Glynn: back to the premiership? They had never been there in the first place.
@Ciaran Rice: you sure mate, pretty sure it’s called the Scottish Premiership. Do your research.
Who is this Rangers you speak of? Are they anything to Steven Gerrards Rangers??
Doing well on a shoe string budget hopefully rangers pull of a shock with this squad and win it
@Colgate: oh god he’s got yet another account
@Colgate: spent most in the league . Your trolling is poor and creating new accounts so often is pathetic . Grow up !
@Niall James Fergal McCormack: 2 people on this article, just article alone you have attacked. Glorious input as per shorty.
@Marty Morrisey: 2 people? You mean you and you!! You are as bad as Andy Gorum!!!
@Marty Morrisey: what a sad sad person.. people like u that sit in there room all day and have 1 friend that’s your 8 year old sister!!
@Jay Murphy: I have 6 sister’s all older than me. Hugs n X’s JJ
@Marty Morrisey: haha shortie . I like the way that’s sticking for you because it makes no sense . Are you trolling yourself ? I’ve no idea what you are talking about but you are a very sad man .