Some are calling it the signing of the summer. A world record fee of £89 million has seen the French international Paul Pogba re-sign for Manchester United Football club from Italian giants Juventus.
Age 23, 6’3 in height, the mobile long legged midfielder who the Juventus fans nicknamed the ‘Octopus’ because of his incredible reach and gangly running style has jumped ship and has by his own admission ‘Returned Home ’. Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho and his new Manchester United regime Paul Pogba has the potential to reach the pinnacle of world football and in his own words “achieve everything I hope to”
The Journey from Child to Protégée to Superstar- a bumpy ride.
Beginning his football journey with grassroots sides US Roissy-en-Brie and US Torcy, Pogba’s first professional club was Le Havre. At 14 he would captain the u16 side and was also recognised nationally with appearances for the French youth teams.
Paul Pogba first began his Manchester United journey on the 7th October 2009. A controversial switch where his former employees Le Havre accused Manchester United of offering his parents lots of money to secure the deal and breaching certain contractual rules. However Manchester United were cleared of any wrong doing and the transfer went ahead.
During his formative years at Utd, Pogba was an integral part of the successful under 18’s and reserve side. Producing standout performances way above his years. It was only a matter of time until he was given first team opportunities by the then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
A league cup tie away to Leeds Utd was Pogba’s first senior outing for Manchester United, a further appearance against Aldershot Town in the same competition soon followed. This competition has always been used by the elite clubs to breed youngsters but upon Pogba’s return to Manchester, I can’t see him playing many games in this competition this season, how times change!
His Premier League debut arrived 3 years after his official signing. Against Stoke City on the 31st January. Pogba’s European debut soon followed, replacing Michael Carrick in Manchester United’s defeat at Athletic Bilbao. This turned out to be what most united fans believed was his last appearance in a Red shirt, did they ever predict it was only just the start.
So why did Paul Pogba leave?
Growing frustrated with a lack of first team opportunities at Old Trafford, Paul Pogba rejected United’s offer of a new contract and opted to join Juventus in Serie A on a free transfer. United were awarded just £800k in compensation. This figure would now struggle to cover Pogba’s monthly wage!
The final straw for Pogba was a boxing day clash between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford, a game which United lost 3-2. With United’s regular midfielders all absence through either injury, suspension or other disciplinary factors Sir Alex had a gap to fill. Instead of choosing the talented Frenchman, Sir Alex chose to use Rafael De Silva and Park ji Sung in the central areas, one is a right back, the other is an attacking wide player. Pogba made his frustrations known to his agent and other senior players and his mind was made up. Sealing the deal further was the return of the retired Paul Scholes. The Man United legend had been begged out of retirement by Fergie and was instrumental in United’s return to form. No one apart from Pogba thought that Scholes’ return would have any negative repercussions, yet deep down when you put things into perspective this decision has potentially cost united £88 million!
With a blocked route to the starting XI apparent, Pogba felt unwanted and mistrusted by Sir Alex and the decision to join Juventus left a bad taste in the mouth for the united management to deal with.
The question is could all this have been handled better by the club?
Juventus- From Boy to Man
124 appearances, 28 goals, 4 Serie A titles, 2 Italian cups, a champions league final and tonnes of individual awards over a 4-year stint at Juventus is pretty good going for a 6th choice Manchester United reject.
The move to Juventus saw Pogba given a first team opportunity and most notably playing time. A chance for him to learn the game, play against different players and styles, make his mistakes and fine tune his game during his most important developmental years as a professional. Playing alongside Andrea Pirlo and other experienced players matured him as a player and a person.
A fully fledged France international who carried a huge amount of responsibility on his shoulders at the European championships, Pogba is considered an all-round Midfielder. Pogba can defend and attack with ease. His long frame carries him around the pitch comfortably. He can intercept well, pass long and short off both feet, shoot from distance and is a threat aerially from set pieces.
Unfinished Business at Manchester United
Paul Pogba returns to a place he knows very well. There is no problem with the language barrier or unfamiliar surroundings, he has grown up acclimatised to English football so his transformation from black and white to red should be very smooth and no one will be surprised if he takes the league by storm in the early part of the season. Surrounded by a fresher United team under the surveillance of one of the world’s best managers Jose Mourinho , Paul Pogba is entering a phase in his career which could see him go down as one of the greatest players in the modern era and a potential Manchester United in the mould of another great Frenchman Eric ‘The king’ Cantona.
So how will he fit in to the United side? I’m fully expecting Paul Pogba to fill a central midfield birth, the question is which one. Didier Deschamps, Pogba’s national team manager has been recently criticised for playing Pogba too deep at the Euro’s. His holding midfield position restricted his athletic powers and his ability to create and score goals around the opposition’s penalty zone. At Juventus Pogba usually played ahead of the pivot player, allowing him to make forward runs knowing he has that security behind him. At times he is a free spirit which carries a certain degree of naivety but his gallivanting runs forwards offer surprise and creativity during crucial moments in the game something that Manchester united has craved since the days of Cristiano Ronaldo.
I can see Mourinho playing Pogba with Michael Carrick in Midfield with Rooney as the number 10. A common occurrence this season will be the rotation between Rooney, Ibrahimovic and Pogba. As Rooney and Ibrahimovic drop short to collect the ball, fully expect a forward run in behind the opposition’s backline by Pogba. Mourinho will encourage his players to fill the box when the ball is in wide areas. This mirrors the Fergie days which Mourinho will be desperate to bring back to the club following the placid playing style of the Moyes and Van Gaal era. Expect United to carry an arrogance with them this season. Opposition teams will be more fearful of the Manchester United playing squad and with Mourinho at the helm United are carrying some ammunition this season. As for Pogba, the platform is set up, enjoy the show!
