Jose Mourinho, who took charge of his first game as United manager at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in Wayne Rooney’s testimonial against Everton, expressed hope that he would have his fourth and possibly final signing of the summer formally in place before United’s opening game of the new Premier League season away to Bournemouth a week on Sunday.

However, United are expected publicly to announce they have reached an agreement with Juventus before Pogba undergoes a medical, signs a contract and the formalities of the protracted deal are concluded. There is some optimism that could happen before the Community Shield against Leicester City on Sunday, although given the drawn-out nature of the transfer saga, sources at Old Trafford have been reluctant to make predictions about a specific time frame.