Louis Saha exclusive: why Morgan Rogers would thrive at Manchester United, Neymar’s role for Brazil and Carlo Ancelotti, and Paul Pogba’s chances of a World Cup fairytale

Former France international and Manchester United striker Louis Saha has hailed Morgan Rogers as the dream signing to take his old club forward in 2026 in an exclusive interview with Foot Italia. 

Speaking ahead of the new year, when the excitement leading into the World Cup will begin to ramp up, the retired Premier League forward also gave his view on why France are a team that could be perfectly set up to win the title again after missing out in 2022 to Lionel Messi.

Read the full interview below.

Manuel Ugarte has not shown enough for Manchester United but he is not a negative personality inside the squad

Manuel Ugarte, in my opinion, hasn’t shown enough. We know he was very aggressive at PSG, but we haven’t seen him at his best.

One thing we can say is that he signed, and he hasn’t complained or shown frustration, he respects the situation. It’s all part of being a competitor. 

You have to work hard and show whenever you’re given the chance that you can contribute and fight your best. That’s his mission, but the club has to make a choice. 

It is clear what Ruben Amorim needs from his midfielders now if Manchester United are to succeed with his system

We have a few midfielders who fit really well into that midfield role, if we’re playing with two in midfield, they have to be very, very fit, physically able to counter-attack, sometimes be very smart in their positioning to block counter-attacks, and in many ways, they have to contribute offensively. It’s not an easy combination. 

Not every player can fit this role easily. You have to adapt depending on the players, and some definitely have to adapt when you play with Bruno Fernandes, and our wingers are different from some other teams. You have to understand that.

United have four players who need to step up in the absence of Bryan Mbeumo during AFCON 

To step up with Bryan Mbeumo gone, I would like to see Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Joshua Zirkzee, and Mason Mount. 

There is space here to show the manager and the fans that those guys can make a huge contribution and that this is a huge opportunity for them to improve.

It’s not just about game time, but the confidence and fitting into the system. I think it’s an opportunity to build up this confidence and, by March, it should be a confident squad.

This is a huge opportunity, the same for Kobbie Mainoo and other players. The formation is not going to change that much, so they have to show that they have understood what they have to do.

Is it time for United to cash in on Rasmus Hojlund?

It’s a difficult answer. I don’t really see his future at Man Utd. I see that he’s a boy that needs confidence, like every player in the world. 

Obviously it’s easier when you have the type of players around you that suit you and make things easy. When you have a Kevin De Bruyne, finding you with passes.

Italian football is different. He has been very successful there before, so it’s not a surprise. It doesn’t mean that if he comes back things are going to be easier. He will have more experience because he was still a young boy when he was at United. 

When you look at the future, you see how football moves so quickly. In six months we have different stories. I think this is a good opportunity to cash in on Rasmus.

He left because he didn’t fit the style that Ruben Amorim wanted and I don’t think that has changed.

Manchester United’s transfer strategy has turned a corner but in Conor Gallagher and Morgan Rogers there are two players who could take them to the next level

I think Manchester United have done some really good business and I’ve loved to see the team grow. The goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, was an amazing signing, I think it really helped our stability. 

In January, I see a need for a replacement who can spark our midfield creativity. In addition to Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, there’s a need for speed in the creativity there.

I think Conor Gallagher would’ve been a good signing, he has the legs and the power, I’d also love to see Morgan Rogers at United. 

He definitely has this power, he reminds me a bit of Joelinton. That kind of power, and still very technical, and able to go forward. 

Having that kind of presence in the midfield is so important. I see Rogers as being able to actually bomb forward, but also get pressed and keep the ball, giving time for other players to move into different positions.

He is the type of player United need. It’s a very interesting profile that’s rare in the sense that a lot of players are very athletic, but in terms of making the right choice with that athleticism, that’s not easy. So I can see Rogers as being a dream signing.

Can Paul Pogba break his way into the France squad for a fairytale return to the World Cup in 2026?

Is it 50/50 for Paul Pogba to go to the World Cup? I think it’s maybe less. I would say that physically he’s still a bit off. But talent-wise, even after 10, 15 minutes straight away you see, he imposes his aura, his class, technically, he’s one of the best in his position for sure. 

When it comes to the French squad, it’s a different animal. I am convinced that if he starts to play week in, week out, there is no reason that he’s not going to be in that squad. 

Even so, this squad is very, very strong. But in midfield, still, I don’t think that Didier Deschamps has what he offers. 

Some great players are there, N’Golo Kante is back, so there is some nostalgia in the way of Deschamps. 

He will know that when it’s time to produce unpredictability, the only player able to do that is Paul Pogba. You can have really strong steady midfielders, and you have those really special players. And we have a bunch of them.

We have Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki, it’s amazing. But when it comes to unpredictability and creating the space, I think there is only one, in my opinion, who is able to actually get that right partnership with Kante or with the other players in that area.

Do France have the deepest talent pool in international football going into the World Cup?

It’s amazing when you look at players like Bradley Barcola from last season, being in competition with Desire Doue at the same club, those guys are going to be in the national squad.

There is Rayan Cherkii and Michael Olise. It’s a big, big squad and we have the Ballon d’Or winner at the very top in Ousmane Dembele. 

We also have Hugo Ekitike and Kylian Mbappe. It’s unbelievable.

Back in the day, I remember we had Thierry Henry, David Teézeguet, Olivier Giroud, Djibril Cisse and Karim Benzema. The French team has always been very productive with talent. 

But by having this manager, I can sense that they now have enormous experience and that’s why, with the longer World Cup format, you can see France just growing, because Mbappe is leading it all, one of the best players in the world.

What have you made of Hugo Ekitike as one of the few bright sparks for Liverpool this season with the World Cup looming?

Hugo Ekitike has done really well and he’s a very enthusiastic guy, very easy going, I think very honest, he works hard. So the link up with Kylian Mbappe in the last camp was instant. 

Straight away you can sense it. So he just came on and did his bit again. I really like his energy. There’s amazing simplicity in his game where he’s got a lot of technical ability and still you can sense that he has a good share of energy. 

He is confident, he provides excitement, he provides a kind of unpredictability so you can’t easily read his game or what he wants to do.

At the same time the kind of choices that he’s making, linking up with his teammates has been impressive even though Liverpool are not playing so well, it’s amazing.

If it comes down to Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi at the World Cup, who do you think will have the edge?

Will Cristiano Ronaldo have more desire than Lionel Messi to win the World Cup? Those brains are completely different than humans, I would say. Those guys have an appetite, they have an ego, they want more and more and more. It’s like nothing happened before. 

He will be 41 or whatever, no, he’s thinking that he’s 28. So those guys don’t think the same. Whether it’s a quarter-final or final, they will make everything possible to be up there and be contributing to win this World Cup 

I’m sure that if Messi has the opportunity to win back to back, he will do it and be very angry if he doesn’t, if he reaches the final. 

Cristiano, obviously, based on his career, if he wins it, my God, it’s going to be an amazing achievement. That’s why I wish that for him.

He has unbelievable commitment, but with Messi they are close to the gods, they are not human.

Could Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil be a better team without Neymar at this stage in his career?

If Neymar is not there, something is missing in that Brazil squad. They have talented players like Vinicius Júnior, top players, but not as experienced as over the years. 

Look at Neymar, Ronaldinho, or Ronaldo, my goodness. When you have those kinds of names who have scored so many goals, it’s not the same. 

It’s a bit of a burden for Richarlison to take the pressure. But it is the mission that he has in front of him because he’s the main guy, and fans will all support him because we want to be entertained. 

We want to see Neymar there, you might question his fitness, but he’s still an amazing player. I think he knows that he needs to do better and this is his duty. 

This is his duty to be at the World Cup and entertain us and give Brazil the best chance possible to win that World Cup.

Will Casemiro be key for Brazil after his strong performances for United this season?

Casemiro will be a leader for Brazil without a doubt. I have no doubts about Casemiro, but I think his role wasn’t well explained to him when he joined Manchester United.

He was doing too many things when he arrived at United, I think now you can see he’s organized. He’s doing what he knows and understands the kind of formation and he understands the kind of tempo. 

He understands the kind of confidence that you need to show during the game a lot more. This is why I think he has adapted, because he’s a great player. 

‘Whatever people say, it’s very easy to judge when you’re sitting on the sofa. I remember my playing days, but it’s easy to forget. 

Many things are said harshly, sometimes fairly, but it was very harsh on Casemiro because he’s a big name, he was a big player and I think he still is.

What is your prediction for Manchester United vs Wolves?

These are the games in which United struggle, it’s very strange. But, looking at how United are playing. They will come out on top. 1-0.

What is your prediction for Everton vs Arsenal?

Arsenal are able to get results even when they don’t play well. It’s going to be an interesting game, I think it’s going to be a draw. 1-1.