3 reasons why Paul Pogba is finally justifying his price-tag

Paul Pogba became the most expensive footballer in the world when Manchester United signed him from Juventus for a sum of £89.2 million in 2016.

However, he has had a topsy-turvy ride at United. He did not have a very good rapport with former United manager Jose Mourinho, and warmed the bench for a considerable period of time.

Even when he played, he was given a withdrawn role and had to stay back in his own half most of the time.

Things seem to have taken a positive turn since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as the caretaker manager. Pogba has scored 4 goals in the last 3 matches for United and finally seems to be doing justice to his price tag.

We take a look at the 3 reasons why Pogba finally seems to have clicked at United.

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#1 He has been given more freedom to attack

Pogba celebrates after scoring a goal

Pogba used to play as a central midfielder with a lot of defensive duties under Mourinho. He used to stay back in his own half for a considerable period of time, as the attacking duties were given to the likes of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard.

Solskjaer has allowed Pogba to attack more freely by playing him as an attacking midfielder, and the results have been immediate. The likes of Matic and Herrera now take care of the defensive duties for United, and Pogba no longer has to worry about falling back and defending.

He now looks like the talisman for United, as he plays a vital role in almost every attack. He roams in the opposition half freely to assist the United forwards and also tries to score goals himself.

As a result, Pogba has been among the goals for the last few matches and has taken his tally to 9 goals from 23 matches in all competitions this season. The World Cup winner is growing in stature with every match, and United finally seem to have found a proper replacement for the likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Their supporters have also been treated to a flurry of goals, and Pogba’s new role has played a vital part in that.

#2 Getting into the opposition penalty box frequently

Pogba has often filled in for Romelu Lukaku in the latter's absence by getting into the opposition penalty box

Pogba has played as a de-facto #9 at times and makes frequent forays into the opposition penalty box. He has gotten into goal-scoring positions frequently and showed great opportunism in scoring a brace against Bournemouth. Moreover, his athleticism and good ball-skills helped him a great deal in scoring those goals. He now has 24 goals from 118 matches for United.

Pogba stretched his legs a great deal to meet a cross from Marcus Rashford to score his first goal. He had started his run from near the halfway line and outran the Bournemouth defenders to tap the ball home.

He also scored from a header by out-jumping the Bournemouth defenders. To his credit, he has been in the right positions at the right times quite often in the last few matches. Pogba also has a good shot in him, and has frequently tested the opposition goalkeepers with scorching shots from outside the penalty box.

#3 Falling back to defend at times

Pogba has also fallen back to defend at times

Pogba has not restricted himself to scoring goals and creating moves only. He has also fallen back to his own half frequently when Manchester United have been leading by a few goals.

At times, he has played as a box-to-box midfielder and dropped down to his own penalty box to thwart moves of the opposition. Pogba’s versatility as a player has allowed him to do so, and it has been extremely helpful for United as well.

Pogba has also provided quite a few assists this season. He now has 6 assists in the Premier League alone, and United’s forwards have benefited often from his incisive through-passes.

Pogba can also play his passes very quickly, and therefore can unsettle the opposition defence with rapid moves. All those qualities have combined to make him a great buy for United, and he seems to have blossomed into the player United supporters always expected him to be.