According to the Mirror in England, the French World Cup winner’s agent will meet with Manchester United executives to negotiate a contract extension, the offer is set to be an estimated £400,000-per-week contract, but if Pogba turns down the offer the heads at ManU would try to sell the 28-year-old midfielder rather than have him leave on a free transfer next season.

Nonetheless the report indicates that Manchester United have a list of three players to replace Paul Pogba if he does not resign with the club and is sold in the summer. Here are the three names on Manchester United’s shortlist to replace Pogba.

Declan Rice

The 22-year-old from West Ham United has been capped 19 times by England, and has over 100 appearances for West Ham. Considered by many to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, Rice would cost Manchester United an over the top £100 million transfer fee.

Wilfred Ndidi

Nigerian Wilfred Ndidi is 24 years old and is at Leicester City, where he has played over 120 games for the Foxes. Ndidi could also be a cheaper buy than Rice and that could push his signing past the finish line.

Saul Niguez

United’s third option comes from Spain and it is Saul Niguez who is currently at Atletico Madrid. At 26, Niguez has been a mainstay at Atletico since 2012, and has been capped 19 times by Spain.

Ndidi and Niguez are said to be the two most affordable options for Manchester United, although Pogba has found a home in Manchester and is one of the teams’ leaders, it would be shocking if he was to move on.

A total of46 Nigerian players have played in the English Premier Leaguein the competition’s history. Most of them have managed to writetheir name on the scoresheet at least once, depending on their position on the field.

The first Nigerian soccer player to have moved to the EPL wasEfan Ekoku, onMarch 26, 1993, toNorwich City, while the latest player isSemi Ajayi toWest Bromwich. At the moment, there are sixNigerian players actively playing in the 2020-21Premier League season.

21. Brown Ideye – 4 goals

Brown Ideye started his soccer career at Nigerian side Bayelsa United in 2006. It took him eight years to be noticed by an English club. The striker has played for only one Premier League club in his career, West Bromwich.

He stayed with the Albion for one season only, 2014-15. During that time, Ideye scored four goals in the EPL. The 32-year-old is currently playing for the Turkish club Goztepe.

20. Dickson Etuhu – 4 goals

Dickson Etuhu began his career at Manchester City in 2000. Throughout his career, the former defensive midfielder featured for a total of six English clubs, but with only two of them, he played in the Premier League.

At Fulham, he gathered 91 league appearances, netting three times. Meanwhile, with Sunderland, he made 20 appearances and scored only one goal. Since 2017, he’s played for IFK Rossjoholm, but in 2020, Etuhu was banned from Swedish soccer for match-fixing.

19. Celestine Babayaro – 5 goals

Babayaro began his adventure at Anderlecht in 1994, but three seasons later, he joined Chelsea in the Premier League. There, he won the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, the 2000 FA Cup[ and the 2000 Charity Shield, and reached the 2002 FA Cup Final.

From 1997 to 2005, the ex-left-back played in a total of 133 EPL games, and he even scored five goals. He also featured for Newcastle on 47 league occasions but failed to register any goal. Babayaro retired in 2008 with MLS side LA Galaxy.

18. Wilfred Ndidi – 6 goals

Ndidi made his Premier League switch from Genk to Leicester in 2017, at the age of just 20. For the Belgian club, he played for two years.

In 122 EPL games Ndidi has played so far, he has scored six goals, even though he is a defensive midfielder. He is currently going into his fourth season at the King Power Stadium.

17. Finidi George – 6 goals

Finidi George introduced himself to the Premier League very late in his career, almost at the end of it. He played for six other clubs around Nigeria and Europe, before joining Ipswich Town in 2001, at the age of 30.

George stayed there for three years, but during that time, he made only 25 league appearances and scored six goals. In 2004, he retired after spending the season at Mallorca.

16. John Utaka – 7 goals

John Utaka had a very colorful career overall, having played for 13 clubs from all over the world. One of them was Portsmouth, who he joined in 2007.

His stay lasted four years, but during that time, he appeared in 66 games in the Premier League and netted seven times. The former forward retired from soccer in 2018.

15. Joseph Yobo – 8 goals

The Nigerian defender played for Standard Liege, Marseille, and Tenerife on loan, before being shipped on another loan, this time to Everton. After spending one season there, the Merseyside club bought him outright in 2003.

Yobo went on to become a stalwart in the Everton squad, spending a total of a decade at the Goodison Park, including the season of his loan. During that time, he played 220 games and scored eight goals. The defender retired in 2014, with Norwich City.

14. Daniel Amokachi – 10 goals

Just like Yobo, Amokachi made his name known in the Premier League thanks to Everton. After impressing at Club Brugge for two seasons, in 1994, Everton snatched the forward.

Amokachi went on to score 10 goals in 43 Premier League matches from 1994 to 1996. He retired from professional soccer in 2005.

13. Ade Akinbiyi – 11 goals

Akinbiyi is one of the several players on the list who have played for more than 10 clubs in their career. In fact, the ex-forward can boast of being part of 15 total clubs, mostly in the Premier League and the MLS.

Despite having spells at Norwich City, and Sheffield United, Akinbiyi scored all of his EPL goals while wearing the jersey of Leicester. The now 46-year-old announced his retirement in 2015.

12. Alex Iwobi – 13 goals

Iwobi is a rare Nigeria player who is a youth product of a Premier League club. He was part of Arsenal’s academy for 11 years, before making his first-team debut in 2015.

For the Gunners, he netted on 11occasions in a total of 100 league games. The 24-year-old forward joined Everton in 2019, and he has scored twice for the Toffees so far.

11. Jay-Jay Okocha – 13 goals

Alex Iwobi’s nephew, Jay-Jay Okocha, had stints at clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, and Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, he left a mark in the Premier League during his stay at Bolton Wanderers.

Okocha featured 124 times for Bolton in the English top-tier and scored 14 goals from 2002 to 2006. Two years after his exit, the former attacking midfielder retired from soccer at Hull City.

10. Odion Ighalo – 17 goals

Ighalo played for six clubs and went through seven spells to get to Watford on loan from Udinese. It didn’t take much for him to impress, to Watford signed him at the end of the season.

From 2014 to 2017, the striker made 55 league appearances, scoring 17 goals in total. In January 2020, he made a shocking return to the Premier League, joining Manchester United, again on loan.

9. Victor Moses – 20 goals

Victor Moses is the player with the most Premier League experience from the list. Thanks to Wigan, he made his first steps in the English first division in 2010. Two years later he joined Chelsea, but he has been shipped off on six loans since then.

Despite that, the winger has scored seven goals for the Blues in 87 league games. For Wigan, he has managed eight goals, three at Stoke City, and one at West Ham and Liverpool each. The 29-year-old is currently on loan at Spartak Moscow.

8. Kelechi Iheanacho – 21 goals

Iheanacho is a youth product of the Manchester City academy. He spent a season with the youth ranks, before making his breakthrough to the first-team in 2015.

The Nigerian forward appeared in 74 Premier League games for the Citizens, marking his name on the scoresheet nine times. In 2017, he moved to Leicester, where he has so far netted 12 times.

7. Victor Anichebe – 26 goals

One of the many Nigerian players to have played for Everton is Victor Anichebe. An interesting fact is that he is an Everton homegrown player who made his way into the first team in 2006.

During his seven-year stay at the Goodison Park, the striker netted 18 goals in 131 Premier League games. He has also added another six at West Bromwich, and three from his time at Sunderland. Anichebe’s latest soccer activity was recorded back in 2017.

6. Obafemi Martins – 28 goals

Martins played in Italy, before making a move to Newcastle in the Premier League in 2006. Interestingly, he was the first player to wear the No.9 jersey at Newcastle after the retirement of Alan Shearer.

His stay at the Magpies lasted for three seasons, until 2009. During that time, he added 28 goals in 88 Premier League matches. The 36-year-old forward is playing for Wuhan Zall at the moment.

5. Peter Odemwingie – 37 goals

The lone non-Nigeria born player, Odemwingie made his way to the English first division after featuring in Nigeria, France, and Russia. In 2010, West Bromwich announced his transfer.

The forward played a total of 87 league games for WBA and scored 30 goals in total. He has also six goals from his stay at Stoke City, and one at Cardiff City. With Madura United being his final club, he hung up his boots in 2019.

4. Shola Ameobi – 43 goals

In addition to Obafemi Martins, Ameobi made his name known at Newcastle. The only difference is that Shola Ameobi went through years of academy soccer at Newcastle, before making it into their first-team in 2000.

The ex-striker went on to play 295 Premier League fixtures for the Magpies and scored on 43 occasions during his 14-year spell until 2014. He retired in 2018, after spending the season at Notts County.

3. Efan Ekoku – 53 goals

England-born Efan Ekoku spent most of his career on United Kingdom soil, switching between Premier League clubs, EFL Championship sides, and League of Ireland clubs. However, he is most known for his time at Wimbledon (currently Milton Keynes Dons).

At the Dons, he netted 38 league goals in 121 games in the English highest division from 1994 to 1999. In addition, the former striker can boast of adding another 15 goals for Norwich City. He hung up his boots in 2004.

2. Nwankwo Kanu – 54 goals

Nwankwo Kanu spent a great deal of his career in the Premier League, in spite of playing in the Netherlands and Italy prior to his Arsenal move.

In 1999, he switched Inter with the Gunners and that proved to be a very wise decision. Kanu ended up netting 30 goals in 119 league matches for Arsenal. With Portsmouth – the club he retired at in 2012, he added another 17, and seven came from his time at West Bromwich earlier.

1. Yakubu – 95 goals

It took four different clubs and six years for Yakubu to be noticed by an English club. He joined Portsmouth on loan in early 2003, but he was already their full player by the end of the season.

During his time at the Pompey, he scored 29 goals in 67 Premier League matches. He continued to shine after moving to Middlesbrough two years later, marking 24 goals. Besides that, he scored 25 for Everton, and 17 for Blackburn Rovers. Yakubu hung up his boots in 2017.

The Super Eagles have been to six of the last eight World Cups since 1990. They have generally gotten to the Round of 16, with the 1994 World Cup being considered by many to have been their best performance. In 2018 they did not qualify for the second round and this has led to adjustments to the program.

Currently, the Super Eagles are ranked 32 in the FIFA Rankings, and with these 20 players, Nigeria will hope that they will continue to develop and finally be able to make a deep run in a World Cup.

20. Sebastian Osigwe

Sebastian Osigwe is hoping to become the Super Eagles number 1 in goal. Goalkeeping has always been an issue for African teams, Osigwe is Swiss-born and is playing at FC Lugano in the Swiss league.

At 26, he is the closest competition to take the starting spot from Daniel Akpeyi. A known shot-stopper, he has kept many clean sheets at the club level and could be that jump in quality that Nigerian fans are hoping for.

19. Ola Aina

The Fulham defender has established a healthy career for himself, the one time Chelsea product represented England at the youth level before choosing the Super Eagles in his one time switch.

At the club level, Ainahas played in England and Italy’s top flights. His experience will make him one of the leaders going forward at the back for the Super Eagles. He missed out on the 2018 World Cup squad but since then he has played a big role for the national team.

18. Samson Tijani

The young up and coming Samson Tijani has been plying his trade on loan in the Austrian Bundesliga for Hartberg. He is officially on the books for Red Bull Salzburg and made his competitive debut on August 30th against Dornbirner in the Austrian Cup.

At 18 and in a system that has improved players like Erling Haaland, Nigerian soccer fans should feel at ease that Tijani is in the right place to move his development forward. Getting first-team minutes is key and he is doing just that with Hartberg.

17. William Troost-Ekong

The experienced defender has been a fixture on the national team since 2015. After a stint in Serie A he is now at Watford, but it was his time at Udinese where he really came into his own and established himself. While the club was up and down the defender was a consistent starter.

At the international level, he had the chance to represent the Netherlands, where he played in various youth national teams, but he choose to play for the Super Eagles and in 2019 he stated that it was the “best decision ever”. A leader at the back he is the most capped Nigerian defender at the moment.

16. Ramon Azeez

One of the more experienced midfielders in the Nigerian national team pool, Ramon Azeez was recalled to the national team after five years. He plays for La Liga team Granada, where he has established himself.

Azeez has only played 6 times for the Super Eagles but he could be a good utility man going forward, he has World Cup experience and is playing at the highest level in La Liga. He may still have something to offer.

15. Maduka Okoye

Having competition in goal is healthy for any national team, and Nigeria is no exception. Maduka Okoye is young but he already has gained experience playing regularly for Fortuna Düsseldorf’s reserve side.

Now at Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands, he will look to get first-team minutes and build on his young career. At the international level, he has already earned 3 caps for the Super Eagles.

14. Samuel Kalu

The speedy winger, Samuel Kalu wears the number 10 jersey for Girondins Bordeaux in France. After a healthy spell in Gent where he scored 10 goals in 48 games, he moved to France on a five-year deal.

Dynamic and creative Kalu has very good European experience and has already scored 2 goals in 13 appearances for the Super Eagles. This could be his breakout year where he works his way back to the national team.

13. Zaidu Sanusi

The lanky left-back is fresh off of a major move to Portuguese powerhouse F.C. Porto. After building up his career in various teams in Portugal the 23-year-old has already played with Porto this season.

Sanusi has been capped twice by Nigeria and will look to continue his ascension on the National team. Getting first-team minutes at a club like Porto will be vital for Sanusi as he will look to find his place regularly on the starting 11 at both club and country.

12. Peter Etebo

Etebo has bounced around a bit after losing his position at Stoke City, but he can still be a decisive midfielder for the Super Eagles if he finds his footing at Galatasaray in Turkey.

At the international level, he is one of the team’s more experienced players. He played in all three of Nigeria’s World Cup games in 2018 and he was apart of the Bronze medal side at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

11. Emmanuel Dennis

The young forward is getting huge Champions League minutes with Club Brugge. He has scored 17 goals in 71 appearances for the Belgian side. He scored two goals against Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League Group stage.

In 2019, Dennis made his senior national team debut and at the moment has made 2 appearances with the Super Eagles. He will be a go-to forward as his career progresses.

10. Moses Simon

Simon is looking to get back on the national team radar after not being called up to the squad for the recent round of international fixtures. The forward has good skill but has yet to impress, he recently moved to Nantes in France where he had a very successful loan spell.

With Nigeria, he has 5 goals in 33 caps, if Simon can find a consistent scoring touch he could be very helpful for Nigeria down the road. His last goal for the National team came in March 2019. The talent is there, all he needs to do is keep it consistent.

9. Taiwo Awoniyi

At 23 Awoniyi has already had a journey man’s career, he has gone on loan to various clubs although he is officially tied to Liverpool. Many have compared him to Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.

He is tall and can be effective in the air and when receiving crosses, he has represented Nigeria in all of their youth teams and has yet to earn his first cap. He has the skills and the talent but he needs to find a home and consistency.

8. Umar Sadiq

The young forward who plays for Almeria has found a home in Spain where he has already scored 1 goal in his first 5 appearances. He had a very good run at Serbian giants, Partizan.

A tall forward who is good in the air this could be his breakout year and a year where he works his way to the national team. In total, he has 28 goals in 85 league games.

7. Joe Aribo

The 24-year-old has made a good splash for the Super Eagles scoring 2 goals in 4 caps. The Rangers midfielder has been a steady contributor since his arrival in 2019.

A good box to box midfielder he has a nose for goal, scoring against none other than Brazil in an international friendly in October of 2019.

6. Wilfred Ndidi

The Leicester City defensive midfielder has firmly established himself in the EPL with well over 100 appearances for the Foxes. He is best known for his tough defensive play and long-range strikes to goal.

At the national team level, he has played over 30 times for the Super Eagles and could be a huge piece for the Super Eagles in their run-up to the 2022 World Cup.

5. Henry Onyekuru

Henry Onyekuru is a tough winger and has started to earn playing time at Monaco. While at Galatasary, he won both the Turkish Super League title and Turkish Cup.

At the international level, he has earned 12 caps for the Super Eagles and scored 2 goals. He could be a very important player in the future for the national team at 23.

4. Samuel Chukwueze

The young Villarreal midfielder has been in Spain since 2018 moving up from the youth team to the senior squad. With well over 71 appearances in La Liga, Chukwueze is gaining good experience for his young age.

He has earned 15 caps with the Super Eagles and he has earned comparisons with Arjen Robben. He will look to build on his already impressive reputation during the next round of international call ups.

3. Victor Osimhen

The Napoli youngster has already cracked the starting 11 for the Serie A side. After coming on to the scene at Wolfsburg, Osimhen is now at Napoli having scored 2 goals in 6 games.

Osimhen has a lethal record for Nigeria he has 4 goals in 9 caps for the Super Eagles, and without a doubt is one of the country’s top prospects.

2. Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi has been a solid player for the Super Eagles, having spent his whole career in the EPL, playing 100 games for Arsenal and now at Everton. Iwobi played with the English youth national team before choosing to play for Nigeria.

With the Super Eagles, he has 7 goals in 42 caps, with two goals against Argentina in a friendly in 2017. Iwobi will be one of the nation’s key players to take Nigeria to the next step at a World Cup.

1. Kelechi Iheanacho

One of Nigeria’s best players Kelechi Iheanacho has already made a name for himself after jumping onto the scene with Manchester City in 2015. Now with Leicester City where he has 9 goals in 74 games for the Foxes.

With the Super Eagles, he has earned 27 caps and scored 9 goals, he did not make the final 23 man roster for the 2018 World Cup, but he will look to be a key figure in the lead up to the 2022 tournament.