Yaya Toure says he would like to play with Manchester United´s Paul Pogba
Yaya Toure would love to be a mentor alongside Paul Pogba but believes Manchester City fans would not accept him joining Manchester United.
Ivorian Toure is searching for a new club having ended his eight-year spell with City and wants to continue playing at a high level.
The 35-year-old is a big admirer of United midfielder Pogba, who has faced regular criticism for inconsistent performances since his £89million move to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016.
Paul Pogba´s future continues to be questioned (John Walton/Empics)
And Toure believes he would be an ideal ally for the France international.
“I love Paul Pogba,” Toure told the Manchester Evening News. “Pogba – it’s difficult because of the way the media has treated him. We don’t have the same characteristics because for me I was involved in all the ball, I ran everywhere.”
He said he sees some similarities in their playing styles though, and added: “It is a player I want to play with, to be honest, just to teach him some things.”
Although he would like to be a team-mate to Pogba, Toure, who made more than 300 appearances for City, would be reluctant to move across Manchester.
Asked if he would consider the switch, Toure said: “No, no, no, no. The fans are going to kill me!”
He is eyeing a club with the potential to win silverware, wants two more years in the game, and appears likely to stay in the Premier League.
Toure added: “It’s going to be hard one day to play against City, but I have to do that. It is part of my job.”
“To see myself at a different club is going to be difficult. I have been such a big part of City for such a long time now. I just want to say that definitely I will continue to play at a high level – Champions League or Europa League.”
While Toure seems unlikely to join Jose Mourinho’s men, United captain-turned-coach Michael Carrick has dismissed suggestions Pogba’s future lies away from Old Trafford.
Questions over Pogba’s relationship with manager Mourinho have also been raised this term, with the midfielder’s non-committal answers in a recent
interview fuelling talk about him.
However, Carrick – captain at United last season and coach next term – gave short shrift to the suggestion Pogba could be on the move.
“It’s a bit of a silly question, really, I think,” he told Sky Sports. “Of course he has got a future.
“He’s a big player for us, he’s a great age, he’s got his peak years ahead of him.
“It’s not even something I’d give a second thought to, to be honest.”
