Pogba tells Man Utd all about "extraordinary" Declan Rice transfer alternative

Paul Pogba has sung the praises of his fellow countryman Aurelien Tchouameni - who just so happens to be a transfer target for Manchester United.

At just 21 years of age, Tchouameni is on the radar of some of the continent's biggest sides after making his France debut last week.

The Monaco midfielder has featured in all three of Les Bleus fixtures over the course of this international break and is highly-rated by coaches, teammates and fans alike.

Pogba is no different, with the Man Utd star waxing lyrical over Tchouameni and claiming he boasts "extraordinary technical and physical quality".

Paul Pogba is a big fan of Monaco star and France teammate Aurelien Tchouameni (Photo by Pascal Della Zuana/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

When pressed on his assessment of how Tchouameni fared on his first meet-up with the France senior side, Pogba told RTL: "Very, very good. He's not a boy, he's a man.

"It's a pleasure to play next to him. He brings a lot of energy. A lot of energy, extraordinary technical and physical quality.

"We wish him to play a lot more games and that I am always by his side."

Reports at the tail-end of the transfer window suggested United had made contact with Tchouameni's representatives as the Red Devils look to finally secure the highly sought defensive midfielder the Old Trafford faithful crave - whom many tipped to eventually be West Ham star Declan Rice.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had to contend with interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea, before they eventually opted to pursue a loan deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez instead.

Tchouameni has only been at current club Monaco for a single season, purchased from Bordeaux last year in a deal worth around €20m (£17m).

There is intense speculation over Pogba's own future, with the former Juventus man out of contract at Old Trafford come the end of this season.

Will Pogba pen a new deal at Man Utd? Have your say here.

Paul Pogba has enjoyed a stunning start to the season for Man Utd, with five assists in three games ( Image:

FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Pogba has been most frequently linked with a return to his home country to ply his trade for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Real Madrid could re-ignite their interest in the 28-year-old just a year after Pogba made some revealing comments about Los Blancos.

The Frenchman refused to rule out playing in the famous white and gold shirt one day, conceding: "Of course, every footballer would love to play for Real Madrid and would dream about that. It's a dream of mine, so why not one day?"