Paul Pogba’s £89m price tag will soon seem cheap, says José Mourinho

José Mourinho believes inflation in the transfer market in the summer will leave Paul Pogba’s world record transfer fee looking like a bargain and the £89m midfielder will be all the better for it.

“I am pretty sure next summer some players with only half his quality will cost the same money,” the Manchester United manager said.

“I am waiting for that moment to release him from the scrutiny that goes with his price. Right now when he plays well, which he does many times, people think it is normal and when he does not perform quite so well pundits and even supporters go strong on him.

“I am really happy with what he has been doing for us. He gives us an incredible balance and he is still very young. He starts build-ups from the back, he recovers the ball and at the top of the pitch he is a guy that can score goals. He can be fantastic and I think in a couple of years you will realise he was cheap.”

Pogba is 23 but close to the finished article, not just a prospect. Mourinho, whose United side travel to Blackburn on Sunday for their FA Cup fifth-round tie, is convinced such players – Atlético Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann is another – will command huge fees in the near future. “Not many clubs have a vision of what is likely to happen,” he said.

“A few years ago £25m bought you a phenomenal player. Today £25m is not even a player, just a prospect of a player. Those who are already big players are bound to cost more.

“I think next summer will bring a few surprises at this level and probably Paul will lose his status as the world’s most expensive player, which will be a good thing. He gets a lot of attention because of his price but he is still happy to play football and the most important thing for him is to never lose that happiness.”

While Pogba may have to wait until next season to become a bargain there is little doubt United have one on their hands right now in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who joined on a free and has already hit 23 goals. The Swede’s wages may be beyond the reach of most clubs but for a 35-year-old that is not bad going. “He just wants to score goals; he’s a real focal point for the attack,” an admiring Chris Smalling said.

“Even when we have not been playing well he has managed to score and when you can rely on someone like that it’s brilliant.”

Ibrahimovic has the option of a second year at Old Trafford and Smalling says the rest of the squad would like to see him exercise it.

“You see how he has performed this season and all the goals he has scored, if we can keep a player like that for as long as we can all the players would be very happy. I don’t thing age is a factor at the moment. He has played as many games as anyone in the squad and contributed a lot. I know how hard he is to play against because sometimes I come up against him in training. We have a nice battle, but I am glad it is only training. I am lucky I don’t have to play against him in a game.”