Always in the Pog box: Failing United never valued their most-expensive player
The Paul Pogba saga just sums up modern Manchester United, doesn’t it?
Rich, powerful, entitled and over-rated.
That seems to be the image we get – Pogba, the playboy who can’t get serious, while United fails to compete with the
Premier League’s top dogs.
But now that Pogba’s Old Trafford career is finally over, I still feel that the club never appreciated the Frenchman.
As the 29-year-old midfielder ends his second spell at the club, it’s clear as day that Pogba played his best football away from United.
And only United could let a superstar leave for free, buy him back for a world-record transfer fee, and then lose him for free again.
So what went wrong for Pogba and United?
Well, it’s a long story, having joined the club as a 16-year-old.
Such was his talent that by the time he was 19, he wanted first-team football.
But instead of giving the laaitie his kans – like he did for so many kids before – Alex Ferguson frustrated Pogba. And in 2012, Pogba left for the first for Juventus.
Playing alongside the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira, Pogba quickly became the biggest midfield star in the game.
During his time at Juve, Pogba looked like he could do anything.
He could run all day, like Vidal. He could pass through the eye of a needle or pick out one in a haystack, like Pirlo. He could dribble, shoot and score.
Pogba was set to conquer the world – which he did, with France.
In his 91-cap international career with Les Bleus, Pogba has lived up to his hype.
He starred at the 2014 World Cup and was named Best Young Player in Brazil.
And in 2016 and 2018, he helped France to two major-tournament finals, as they froze up on as hosts in Euro before lifting the World Cup in Russia two years later.
Pogba was an yster in last year’s Euro too, even as
Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann bombed.
But what sets France Pogba from United Pogba apart is the trust and freedom he gets.
During his first season at United, he was the golden boy under manager Jose Mourinho, scoring in the Europa League final win over Ajax.
Along with the 2016/17 League Cup in the same season, that was that for Pogba and United in terms of winning silverware.
Since then United, didn’t give Pogba the support he needed to play his game.
Misunderstood An aging Nemanja Matic; a Fred, who is also misunderstood; Scott McTominay, these have been the players that Pogba had to work with.
It doesn’t seem like the sort of support cast you get for your most valuable asset.
If you’re not going to play Pogba on the left of a midfield three or in a double pivot next to N’Golo Kante, you are not going to get the best out of him.
Pogba leaves now, with his United career always unfulfilled and .
And while he was the scapegoat, he isn’t the only star to suffer frThe irony is that with a savvy coach like Erik Ten Hag coming in now, Pogba may have finally felt at home in the team.
But I guess it’s best for Pogba and United to start with a clean slate now.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za