acrimoniously

Paul Pogba hoping to inspire Man Utd kids to become new Class of 92

PAUL POGBA says there is a real unity at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sparking memories of the famous Class of 92.

And Pogba — who was acrimoniously stripped of the captaincy under former boss Jose Mourinho — is now helping to nurture the next batch of Academy super kids.

Getty - Contributor

Pogba helping Old Trafford kids as Man Utd become united again

Since Solskjaer took over, there has been a spirit which insiders say is at its highest since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

And Pogba, revitalised under the interim boss, declared: “I try to give my experience to the younger ones because I had the chance to play in the World Cup, I’ve played in a Champions League final and a Europa League final.

“So I try to pass that on to the other boys.

“It is the culture of this club, the generation of Beckham, Scholes, Butt, Gary Neville... when you come from the Academy you want to play for the first team and do great things.

Getty Images - Getty

The Frenchman has been in inspired form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Getty - Contributor

Pogba revealed the mood the current mood sparks memories of the famous Class of 92

“Now you have Marcus Rashford — still very young but talented and a top player — and me and Jesse Lingard who have been playing together for I don’t know how many years.

“I once heard that at this club ‘there is no age’. As long as you are ready to play for the team, then let the young players go and just prove themselves.

“That’s how it is. This is Manchester United. You have the chance at this club.

“Young players can come and prove themselves, enjoy themselves and then become top, top players in the first team.”

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Pogba will miss United's return leg against PSG

Pogba may have had the Champions League night from hell on Tuesday, with a red card in United’s 2-0 Old Trafford defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

But after all he has gone through already this season, he is not about to let a poor day at the office wipe the smile off his face.

That loss was the first in 12 games since Solskjaer replaced Mourinho — ten of them victories.

More importantly, they have come on the back of a return to the attacking football which has been United’s mantra.

Getty - Contributor

Solskjaer's appointment saw the return of attacking football at Old Trafford

Getty - Contributor

Both Pogba and Martial have been rejuvenated since Jose Mourinho left in December

Pogba added: “Ole has helped me a lot, just like he’s helped all the players. He just brings this happiness, this joy, to us all.

“As an ex-United player he knows the culture, he knows everything about the club and he knows how to talk to the players as well. So it has really been a big help for me.

“It has been great to see all the players enjoying it, all playing and working together — and winning together.

“That’s what we want because we had a hard start this season. We have gained a bit and are coming back but there is still a lot more to do and we have to keep going.”

Getty - Contributor

Martial reached 50 goal involvements for United quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo

Pogba is not the only Frenchman delighted to have Solskjaer in the hot-seat.

Anthony Martial is another whose form took a dramatic upturn the minute the Norwegian walked in.

Martial limped out of the PSG loss at half-time and will miss tomorrow’s top-of-the-bill FA Cup fifth-round trip to Chelsea.

Yet he is another who cannot sing the interim manager’s praises highly enough. He said: “He has that culture of being a real Mancunian and he manages to convey that to all of us.

AFP or licensors

Martial signed a new contract at United after thriving under Solskjaer

“He gives us a lot of freedom and shows confidence in us. That is much better for us all and now we are playing and performing like we know we can.”

Yet for all United have been THE form team domestically in two months under Solskjaer, the demand for success will not dip just because the style has improved.

With Champions League hopes now hanging by a thread, the FA Cup remains their only realistic chance of silverware this season.

Pogba does not intend to let that chance slip away. He added: “What I think about here is to win something — if you don’t win there is no point, really. Winning trophies is always my first goal.”

Martial agreed, and admitted: “Above all, I want to win trophies — that is why I came here. And with the team we have I think we can achieve great things.

“We have great players already and they will make progress in the next few seasons. I hope we can continue to grow together and win silverware together.”

Paul Pogba thumped his Manchester United locker in rage and said sorry to team-mates after red card against PSG

Labour’s Magnificent Seven just made a no-deal Brexit more likely

I am old enough to recall the “Gang of Four” in the eighties, when Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers left Labour to set up the Social Democratic Party.

We know that all ended acrimoniously, with a reverse takeover by David Steel’s Liberal Party that created the Liberal Democrats.

This week, we have the not-so-Magnificent Seven Labour MPs, who have torn up their party membership cards to form an Independent Group in the House of Commons.

They claim at the moment that they are not creating a rival party, so they are already getting off to a bad start by deceiving the public. That’s really not a good look.

A number of justifiable grievances were lain at the door of the Labour leadership, including the party’s toxic and dogmatic culture and its refusal to confront the worsening problem of antisemitism.

But these are not individualistic independent-minded MPs going separate ways – after all, they have resigned together haven’t they?

No, they are more dog than cat, pack animals that will vote together, support each other, and present a common platform – pretty much a party just waiting to agree a name and draft a constitution (that everybody will inevitably argue over).

There is an expectation that more Labour MPs might drift over to them, and perhaps a handful of Conservatives, including a minister, too.

What then can bind MPs with such disparate origins? Why, Brexit of course, or rather a zealous opposition to it.

In making their leap, the seven – and any who follow them – reveal that they have been frauds all along.

Let us remember that all candidates from the Labour and Conservative parties stood in the last election on manifestos that respected the outcome of the 2016 referendum and pledged that they would deliver it in a manner that meant leaving the EU’s Single Market and customs union.

The two parties also said that they would end freedom of movement into the UK of EU nationals and the jurisdiction over our own courts of the European Court of Justice.

That was what the seven told their electorates they would do. But no sooner did they return to Westminster than they were working against those pledges.

We know, because they have told us many times and voted in parliament accordingly, that they want to effectively reverse the result of the largest democratic decision in the UK since universal suffrage was achieved. That’s not a very good look either.

Just look at how this tribe of anti-Brexit MPs has responded to the news that Honda is to close its Swindon factory and repatriate all European manufacturing (including production in Turkey) back to Japan.

No matter how often Honda executives say otherwise, the chorus of those claiming that the carmaker’s decision to is because of Brexit just keeps getting louder.

Anyone can see that the car industry is in a period of flux as it comes to terms with falling demand on the European continent and the withdrawal of diesel models – both of which are a direct result of EU economic and regulatory decisions.

In addition, the EU-Japan free trade agreement that will phase out tariffs on Japanese car imports makes it unnecessary for manufacturers like Honda to assemble cars in the EU.

Whatever the Remainer MPs might like you to believe, Swindon is collateral damage to that free trade agreement. It’s what you might call an unintended consequence.

And this week has been full of potential for unintended consequences. For with the defection of these former Labour MPs, there is a very strong likelihood that the Labour vote will be split in future elections.

If the seven seek reelection (and I am sure most will) and field other candidates across the country – presenting a centrist Blairite-without Blair outlook – then Labour will undoubtedly lose votes and seats.

The usurpers might not win, but they will probably bleed enough votes from Labour to let Conservatives come through the middle and take some of those seats.

Thus we have the sweet irony that the reverse-Brexit party led by opponents of a no-deal outcome will make the election of Jeremy Corbyn far less likely.

With such a scenario ahead of them, Conservative MPs might now make the calculation that, with Labour so bitterly divided and unelectable, they can vote down Theresa May’s withdrawal deal and move to a managed WTO exit without risking putting Corbyn in Downing Street.

For the same reason, the Labour split makes the end of May’s tenure as Prime Minister even more certain – just as soon as the Tory MPs are able to bring back and this time pass a motion of no-confidence.

Anti-Brexit independent MPs really should be careful what they wish for.

Dubai financier Amanda Staveley not giving up on Premier League dream

Amanda Staveley has revealed that she remains keen on buying a Premier League football club – more than a year after a high-profile bid to purchase Newcastle United apparently broke down.

The British businesswoman told The National that her UAE-based firm, PCP Capital Partners, is considering investment possibilities related to a number of different football teams.

The 45-year-old also spoke out about her plans to invest significant sums in the UK despite Brexit, and to expand her company’s portfolio in the Middle East.

The financier reportedly made three offers for Newcastle in November 2017. But the planned takeover appeared to fall apart acrimoniously early last year, with a source close to club owner Mike Ashley, the sportswear tycoon, briefing that talks had “proved to be exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time”.

On Wednesday, however, Ms Staveley said that Newcastle, which is still for sale, remained “interesting” to PCP and insisted that she had “no issue” with Mr Ashley.

She refused to be drawn on whether any further negotiations had taken place to purchase the north-east club - considered one of European football’s sleeping giants - but confirmed she was still exploring a series of possibilities for investing in an English football side.

“We are big fans of Newcastle, big fans of the team,” she said. “We have no issue with Mr Ashley, that [the ‘time waster’ claim] is water under the bridge. It’s still an interesting club to us, the fans are fantastic, but we are looking at a lot of clubs.”

More than a decade ago, in 2008, Ms Staveley helped broker the deal that saw Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed take control of Manchester City.

She said any successful PCP-led takeover of an English side would not be followed by the same levels of lavish spending on players – the Premiership champions have spent around £1.3bn (Dh6.1bn) in transfer fees under Abu Dhabi-based ownership.

However, she said she was keen to follow Manchester City’s example by investing in the community surrounding any club in the event of a successful acquisition. Under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, Manchester City has pumped significant sums into schemes to support health, the local economy and people with disabilities.

“I’m a total tomboy, I’m a football fan, I enjoy it very much,” Ms Staveley said. “We are sensible people who invest other people’s money. We would also put our own capital in – of course we would. But with financial fair play rules, all football clubs have to be financially stable.

“I am hugely proud of Man City – we are not looking at creating another Man City in terms of the huge levels of investment they’ve had on players.

"But what I love about Man City is how they have invested so well in Manchester, in the area. That’s really important, and the sort of thing we would want to do elsewhere.”

In terms of its more traditional activities, PCP is actively looking to support new schemes in the Middle East.

Amanda Staveley at the Milken Institute MENA Summit 2019, held in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

The firm is exploring new opportunities in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, and is looking to devote “significant” sums in areas such as property, hospitality, housing and infrastructure over the next 18 months.

PCP, which has built significant connections in the Gulf region, is reportedly backed by £28bn (Dh132bn) of funds. The company, meanwhile, also remains committed to UK investments, despite ongoing domestic turmoil over the country’s departure from the European Union.

I am a strong remainer, I was always a remainer, and Brexit was a poisoned chalice. But we have to deal with it.

Amanda Staveley

Ms Staveley said she did not know Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister, well, although she has met her on several occasions.

Although talks are expected to go to the wire - with the UK currently due to leave the EU on March 29 and no agreement in place - Ms Staveley said she remained confident Britain would not leave the EU without a withdrawal deal.

Ms May has refused to rule out a ‘no deal’ scenario, which, it is widely predicted, would lead to economic and logistical chaos. But Ms Staveley expressed some sympathy with the Prime Minister’s predicament.

“I don’t think no deal will happen,” she said. “[But] if you really want to negotiate with someone, you have to look them in the eye and say ‘I’m prepared to walk away from the table with nothing’.

“I am a strong remainer, I was always a remainer, and Brexit was a poisoned chalice. But we have to deal with it.”

Areas such as affordable house building schemes, designed to offer young professionals a chance at home ownership, have been earmarked by PCP as offering attractive investment opportunities in the UK, whatever happens with Brexit.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. Reuters

Fittingly, Ms Staveley this week addressed the Milken Institute summit in Abu Dhabi, on the topic of ‘investing in volatile markets’.

“We’ve always found that the time to be bold, and make investments, is when markets are volatile,” she said.

“In the UK, volatility has risen beyond where many people feel comfortable with, but we use that and we are continuing to invest in the UK. Brexit or no Brexit, we will still very much be investing in the UK.”

Ms Staveley, who is originally from Yorkshire, was also clear that there should be no return to a hard border in Ireland, something she is passionate about for personal reasons.

The so-called ‘backstop’, an insurance policy built into Ms May’s proposed withdrawal agreement which has so far been rejected by the UK parliament, is designed to ensure there would be no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the event of the UK failing to strike a trade deal with Brussels.

The issue has proven a major sticking point in negotiations between the UK government, Brussels and the British parliament.

There are fears that if a withdrawal agreement is not reached, divergent customs and regulatory regimes in Northern Ireland, part of the UK, and Ireland, part of the EU, would necessitate a return to a hard border. This would undermine the Good Friday peace agreement, which put an end to decades of sectarian conflict when it was struck in 1998.

“I have a mixed background – I have a Protestant father and part of my family is strongly Catholic,” Ms Staveley said.

“People now who are voting are not old enough to remember the Good Friday Agreement or the Troubles. It was hell. From the Irish point of view, some things are a red line and should remain so.”

Updated: February 15, 2019 09:56 AM.