Paul Pogba has said his feelings in the opening moments playing for Manchester United again will tell him how he can adapt to the Premier League. The midfielder is expected to make his first appearance since signing for a world record £92.5m transfer fee against Southampton on Friday night at Old Trafford.
Pogba has experienced the Premier League as a substitute when previously at United, his debut coming in a 2-0 win over Stoke City on 31 January 2012.
Pogba, who left for Juventus that summer, acknowledges he is a different footballer now and the Premier League has also evolved. Asked how he might adapt to it, the Frenchman said: “I will see in my first game, my first feelings. I know that you have more space than in Italy so I’ll just try to find the space to run – without the ball too. And with the ball it’s more physical so you have to kick players.
“The referee will just say: ‘Play on.’ I remember some things. We will see the first feelings. I’m ready to play everywhere in the midfield and I’ll just follow the coach where he tells me to play.”
Pogba has enjoyed working alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Frenchman said: “Zlatan is the big brother of everyone, he is relaxed, makes joke and on the pitch he is a winner so he will really help the team, with Wazza [Wayne Rooney]. I think he is the oldest in the team and Zlatan is the oldest in the team too, so those two will help the team a lot.”
Pogba departed for Juventus because of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reluctance to meet the demands of Mino Raiola, the player’s agent. But Pogba said: “Maybe not a lot of people can understand it [his return]. They say: ‘He left and they did this to him, blah, blah, blah.’ But I’m very happy. Even when I left United I never hated Manchester United, I never hated the city. I’m very happy to come back and wear the shirt again.
“I just play football, I’m happy to play football. I don’t think about all this [transfer fee] because it’s already happened. It’s behind me.”
Pogba also said he was fit to start, though José Mourinho has indicated he may not play all of the game.