Benjamin Pavard has seen his conduct at the World Cup come under fire amid transfer interest from Manchester United.
The Frenchman helped his country win the tournament four years ago in Russia, but was only a bit-part player in Qatar this time around. He started in the opening game against Australia before being replaced by Jules Kounde and failed to regain his place in the starting XI.
France lost in Sunday’s final and in the fallout Pavard has been accused, by L’Equipe, of making “inappropriate comments” about his teammates which led Didier Deschamps to have “big words” with the Bayern Munich defender. Deschamps said on his selection decision surrounding Pavard: “I took the decision not to play him, I won’t go into the details.”
The player himself is said to have divided Les Bleus camp – with Ousmane Dembele among those to raise issues with his compatriot.
Pavard’s action may no doubt raise red flags for potential buyers, one of which is the Red Devils. Erik ten Hag is very much still in the process of bolstering his squad at Old Trafford and the current Bayern man is an attractive proposition given he can play in several positions in the backline.
He’s enjoyed huge success at the Allianz Arena but, with his future unclear amid his contract situation, the player himself has talked up a possible exit. He would prefer to play center-back.
He said when speaking to La Gazzetta Dello Sport: “I’ve been playing in Germany for seven years, I have many friends in Stuttgart and I’ve won everything with Bayern. I play to win and I am open to considering new projects as a center-back.”
His comments though were not well received with Bayern chief Oliver Kahn urging him against using the media to assist with any future moves. “Nobody can start their departure with statements, especially not in public,” he told Sky Germany. “We won’t allow that.
“Benjamin knows what he has in Bayern. We also know what we have in him. We can classify and manage the emotions of the players, which sometimes go up and down.”
United did add Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez to their backline in the summer as Ten Hag began to shuffle his pack. Former regulars Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have both been dislodged, with the latter potentially moving on amid interest from Premier League sides, including struggling Wolves.
Ten Hag is still expected to welcome more new faces as and when he can with more defensive reinforcements on his radar.
