Mourinho wants Pogba and Rashford to stay at United

Bengaluru, May 10: Amidst rumours of Paul Pogba leaving Manchester United, manager Jose Mourinho wants the French midfielder to stay at Old Trafford along with England striker Marcus Rashford.

Both Pogba and Rashford have drawn a lot of flak in recent times following their poor run of form in the Premier League where United are eyeing a second-place finish.

Pogba has been routinely criticised for his performances this season after scoring six goals and providing 10 assists in 25 league appearances for the Reds.

Rashford has been used on the left wing for a majority of the campaign and has scored six goals in 33 league appearances for United.

With rumours linking Pogba with a move away from Old Trafford, this time to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, Mourinho has backed the underfire midfielder.

"I think he's going to be here next season," Mourinho said in the press conference ahead of Thursday's (May 10) Premier League match at West Ham. "That's my feeling."

.@ManUtd's Jose Mourinho tips Paul Pogba to stay at Old Trafford https://t.co/C6Qlgypvoo pic.twitter.com/txV7SqgN2w

— Premier League News (@BarclaysLeague) May 9, 2018

Pogba joined United's youth academy from Le Havre in 2009, then left for Juventus in 2012 after getting limited first-team opportunities at Old Trafford.

He returned in 2016 for a club-record fee of £89 million ($121 million), and helped United win the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season but has since suffered injury problems and reportedly had a falling out with Mourinho.

The United manager, asked to guarantee that Pogba would not leave, made clear that he wanted the player to stay, but was cautious beyond about his long-term future.

"I can give the guarantee that I don't want him to leave. I can give you the guarantee that the club doesn't want to sell him and I can give you the guarantee that we don't have any approach from him, from his agent or from any club.

"So, in this moment, for me, he's staying," Mourinho added.

Rashford has played the most games for United under Mourinho, featuring in 102 of the club's 117 competitive matches since the Portuguese boss took charge in 2016.

But his recent form has been a cause of worry, and the grapevine is that the 20-year-old is keen on a loan move next season to gain experience.

However Mourinho sought to clear the air regarding Rashford's future.

"No," Mourinho said when asked about a potential loan move for Rashford. "What does he need to do to impress me? He impresses me.

"That's the reason why he was selected for every match of the season, absolutely every match of the season and that's why he played in so many of them, so he doesn't need to leave to play. He doesn't need anything."

(With Agency inputs)