Paul Pogba has said he would stop playing if he thought Manchester United’s title chances for the 2017-18 season were already gone.
The French midfielder returned to the Red Devils after a two-month injury lay-off, having not seen action since leaving a Champions League match against Basel with a hamstring problem in September.
United have not been at their best in Pogba’s absence, but his return helped spark a 4-1 rout over Newcastle on Saturday, as he scored a goal and added an assist.
The win helped United keep pace with league leaders Manchester City, who hold an eight-point advantage over their rivals.
Despite the City looking unstoppable at times, Pogba has refused to write off his club’s chances, saying he would quit if he thought the title was already decided.
“The season is very long, of course,” Pogba told BBC Sport when asked if Man United still had a chance to win the league this year. “If I don’t believe that, I’d stop playing.
“If I don’t believe we can still win the league, I better stop. I’ll leave my boots and stop playing football cause I’m a believer we keep fighting.”
Pogba’s successful return wasn’t the only good news for the Red Devils in the victory as Romelu Lukaku found the back of the net for the first time in the Premier League since a win over Crystal Palace on September 30.
And while Pogba was pleased to see his team-mate find his scoring boots once again, he said the ability of the league’s “best striker” had never been in doubt.
“I come back and Romelu scores again? I like that,” Pogba added.
“We’ve got a lot of good players, a lot of talented players. We have to trust each other.
“Romelu is the best striker in the Premier League. We know his quality. We know everything.”
We don’t worry about him.
“And at the end, we see the result.”
Pogba threatens to quit football
