Gary Lineker believes Manchester United’s world-record signing of Paul Pogba is a “watershed moment” for the Premier League.
The 23-year-old rejoined United for £89million from Juventus, having left four years ago for a nominal fee, and the size of the deal has drawn plenty of opinion. Given the number six shirt at Old Trafford, Pogba penned a five-year deal and the transfer was announced early on Tuesday morning.
With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez attracted away from the Premier League and to Spain in recent years, Match of the Day presenter and former England striker Lineker feels Pogba’s move is a good one for England.
The signing of Pogba by @ManUtd is a watershed moment for @premierleague . First time a huge foreign star in his prime has come to England.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) August 9, 2016
Lineker then added: “Given the wealth of the Premier League more of the greats will come here and not just to Barca and Real Madrid. Interesting times.”
Ex-United captain Rio Ferdinand was at the club during Pogba’s first stint at Old Trafford and believes he will not be in awe of the money paid to bring him back.
“Paul is a huge talent and someone with the personality to handle that price tag,” Ferdinand told BBC Sport.
“He can do everything. He is still working out the best way to use all of his weapons but, once he does, he will be an absolute monster of a player. Paul told me before he left that he wanted to be the best player in the world. Paul’s character means he will deal with being such a big investment – so that won’t be a problem.”
United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin posted a picture and a message to his France international team-mate on Instagram.
Jesse Lingard, who scored the winner in United’s FA Cup final success in May, won the FA Youth Cup in the same team as Pogba back in 2011 and used Instagram to simply say:
His now former team Juventus expressed deep gratitude for their “four triumphant years together”
Quattro anni di trionfi vissuti insieme. #MerciPaul pic.twitter.com/9D5jjFlJFJ
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) August 9, 2016
Paul Pogba wasted little to no time returning the gesture by thanking the Bianconeri and fans:
Thanks @juventusfc and all Juventini. Goodbye means nothing, it is the time we spent together that matters 🙏🏾❤
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) August 8, 2016
Similarly, the Red Devils showcased the latest record signing with tweets of their own:
Home. #POGBACK pic.twitter.com/N0irgKbuv5
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 8, 2016
POGBA
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 9, 2016
6#POGBACK pic.twitter.com/J8zPNn3Y2N
A day in the life of @PaulPogba... #POGBACK https://t.co/uG1FXJSrQF
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 9, 2016
Needless to say, the Twitterverse exploded when the announcement was officialised in the early hours of the morning
Manchester United finally made it official last night. Mourinho caught @paulpogba! #MUFC #Pogbackhttps://t.co/xDODB9EeJa
— 90min (@90min_Football) August 9, 2016
Manchester United fans waking up to confirmation that Paul Pogba has returned to Old Trafford… #Pogback #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Lxx2UBo4cn
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) August 9, 2016
Man United fans walking into work this morning #Pogback pic.twitter.com/pdwtTacHjm
— Coral (@Coral) August 9, 2016
Remember when we didn't know what the +5 meant on Pogba's jersey?
— Marco Messina (@Marcocalcio22) August 8, 2016
€105 million. pic.twitter.com/QfgMyTvNtu
Everyone right now… #Pogback pic.twitter.com/x5iSVEJDyQ
— All Football News (@AllFootballLive) August 9, 2016
When you find out Pogba got his own music video to announce his signing and you didn't... pic.twitter.com/XAYkck9FTK
— TheSPORTbible (@TSBible) August 9, 2016
