Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has insisted that The Red Devils want to play against, beat and become one of the best sides on the planet, as José Mourinho's side prepares for Sunday's clash with Real Madrid.

The big games keep on coming

There is no doubt that United are one of the biggest clubs in the game in terms of their popularity and fan base, but when it comes to quality their side hasn't been up to scratch for some years.

Mourinho has looked to rectify the glory days since his arrive at Old Trafford, with signings such as Pogba last summer and Romelu Lukaku in the current window. Things seemed to be pulling together just as The Red Devils travelled to the United States for their pre-season tour.

United remain unbeaten thus far with relatively simple wins over LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake City. The ante was upped with the clash against bitter rivals Manchester City but they surpassed the test well with a 2-0 victory.

The rest of their International Champions Cup campaign will only get tougher as they take on the likes of Madrid and Barcelona, but Pogba insisted that the club want to do what it takes to become one of the best sides in the world.

"The big games keep on coming,” Pogba told MUTV. “The players in the next team want to play against the best."

"We want to play against the best," the Frenchman stated to the club's channel. "We want to beat the best and we want to become the best.

"Now it is a big team, as big as Manchester United," Pogba added. "You don't want to lose against them."

"The Super Cup is on our minds"

Madrid will be the next test as United clash with The Galácticos on Friday night in the Levi's Stadium, and the friendly contest will be good preparation for their second clash which is only a few weeks away.

Due to United's and Madrid's successes in the Europa League and Champions League respectively, they will play for the UEFA Super Cup at the beginning of August. The meeting will be either side's first fully competitive match before the start of their respective seasons and Juan Mata admitted that United's minds are on that final in Macedonia.

"That is where our mind is at the moment," the Spaniard admitted. "We are trying to get to that game in the best shape we can, physically and mentally, that is why we are training hard in the pre-season."

"The Super Cup is in our minds and it is obviously against Real Madrid," Mata concluded. "We are looking forward to it."

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About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.