The Paul Pogba Problem
Unless you have been living underneath a rock you probably would have heard recently that Paul Pogba wants to leave Man United. The news first came to light by Pogba’s oh-so lovable agent, Mino Raiola, in an interview with ‘The Times’ last Friday. Needless to say, this news should come as no surprise because this has been an unhappy marriage for sometime, after a brief romantic reunion at the beginning.
Pogba is like marmite, some fans like him, whereas other fans simply can’t stomach him and will be glad to see the back of him. Love him or hate him, Pogba is without a doubt United’s best player. The stats don’t lie, Pogba led the way for the Red Devils last season in: goals (13), assists (9), shots on target (50), take-ons (60), fouls won (69), chances created (55), possession won (218), passes into the final third (321) and lastly duels won (234).
Quite a list, especially when you taking into account that he only really started to perform at the halfway point last season.
In spite of this, a lot of Pogba’s best performances were against inferior opposition. The Frenchman tends to do disappearing acts in key moments, especially when United have their back against the wall. Pogba’s fans argue that this is due to the fact that the players around him are average however, this argument lacks consistency.
Steven Gerrard won the Champions League in 2005 with what can be described as a very mediocre team; finishing fifth in the league that year, level on points with Bolton Wanderers.
Didier Drogba won the Champions League and FA Cup in 2012 with an average Chelsea side.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the European Championship in 2016 with an average Portuguese team. Moral of the story: if you are truly world-class then you will still consistently play at an elite level irrespective of how bad your players, manager and team are.
United have pulled out all the stops in trying to ensure that Pogba becomes a success at Old Trafford since his £75 million transfer in 2016. Firing Mourinho, changing their style of football, putting him in his desired midfield three formation, appointing him as vice-captain albeit briefly, you name it. The result, however, is still the same.
So, where do Pogba and United go from here? Do they keep him or sell him? These are the questions that come to mind. It’s a very complicated matter since Pogba has just two years left on his contract and at the moment it’s unlikely that he will extend it. It’s also inconceivable that United will allow him to leave on a free; as that will be one of the biggest taboos ever committed in football after the media frenzy they created when he came back ‘home’. The board at Old Trafford need to make a decision as soon as possible especially since the new season is just around the corner. The last thing that this side needs is baggage going into the new season especially since it caused them to unravel right from the start last season.
What would I do? For now, keep him. Hear me out first before some of you decide to send me to the guillotine or electric chair. Yes, I know that the Frenchman appears to act like a pretentious show-boater who spends far too much time on social media. Yes, I also know that he has an attitude problem and that you shouldn’t have unhappy players in the team however, the stats say it all. Pogba is too much of an asset.
Write a list of every single United midfielder and ask yourself, is he anywhere near as good as Pogba? I’m more than certain that for each player, the answer is a resounding no. None of them are on the same level, period. In addition, knowing how grossly incompetent Ed Woodward is with transfers, I cannot trust that he will bring in an adequate replacement on time; even if I was to have around £110 million in my coffers. So for now, he must stay. In the meantime, I would actively be on the hunt for a new midfielder so that this time next year United will be much better prepared if Pogba still decides that he wants to leave.
This is history repeating itself at Man United. Cast your mind back to players from yesteryear such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane. These men expressed their desire to leave but were then able to eventually get their differences aside with the club, stay put and go on to do great things with them. Pogba can still potentially do great things at Old Trafford. If United really don’t want to lose Pogba then they ought to sit down with him and clear the air.
Edits made by Lisa Berrie
