Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has backed Paul Pogba to remain with the Red Devils despite the regular speculation regarding his future. The France international has been regularly touted to make the move to Real Madrid this summer but that has certainly not happened with Los Blancos yet to come up with a reasonable offer.

Speaking to reporters, Matic spoke about the importance of the midfielder to the club and stated that the squad would be happy with the Frenchman’s stay. However, he refused to rule out the potential departure of the former Juventus man by suggesting that anything can happen during the closing stages of the English transfer window.

He said: “We will see what is going to happen. He’s a Manchester United player and of course we will be happy if he stays. He is a great player and very important for the team. I don’t see that he’s going to leave. But in football anything is possible. I think we are (fitter) this year but we have to show that on the pitch. We know what the coach wants in every situation of the game and we are trying to transfer his ideas on the pitch. I think we are ready to start the Premier League.”

United have already declined an opening bid from Los Blancos where they had offered James Rodriguez plus £27m for Pogba. Zinedine Zidane’s side have until September 2 to complete their summer business but they may need to act quickly for Pogba’s signature, considering the Red Devils are unlikely to consider any approaches for the Frenchman beyond Thursday’s transfer deadline for the Premier League.

Elsewhere, the Mancunian giants have been associated with some of the best midfielders around Europa and among those, the names of Bruno Fernandes and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have been regularly mentioned on the media. It remains to be seen whether they are able to pursue one of the duo before the transfer window closes.