Manchester United's Paul Pogba has often been a topic of debate among fans. The Frenchman is one of the finest midfielders when in form but the problem is, fans haven't been able to see him do it on a regular basis.
Paul Pogba started the ongoing Premier League season on fire with Manchester United, recording seven assists in the first four games. But since then, the former Juventus midfielder has struggled to make an impact for the Red Devils.
Paul Pogba has shown no signs of signing a new contract at Manchester United
With his contract ending at Manchester United this season, Paul Pogba is yet to sign an extension with the Premier League giants. Given how things have gone about this season, it looks very likely that the French midfielder will once again be leaving on a free come next summer.
It is a confusing scenario for Manchester United fans given Pogba's ability on the pitch. As of now, it feels like too much time has been given to the Frenchman to blossom with no substantial productive outcome. On that note, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester United should allow Paul Pogba to leave the club:
#5 Elimination of unwanted drama
With a player like Paul Pogba, there's always too much attention to the smallest of details. May it be his performance on the pitch or may it be his ever-changing hairstyles.
To add more nuisance, there's always the presence of Pogba's agent Mino Raiola. The Italian has been quite disrespectfully vocal about Manchester United and has always been keen to provide Pogba's services to other clubs. His rants have been never-ending and displeasing at most.
To date, Paul Pogba has done nothing voluntarily in writing off rumors or shutting up his agent's comments. If there was ever a clear intent to not encourage such nuisance, it would have been stopped way back but somehow the former Juventus midfielder hasn't acted upon it. This has only left the fans on the edge and encouraged them to make the environment more chaotic.
#4 Pogba has his heart set elsewhere
There have been two different versions of Paul Pogba ever since he joined Manchester United. One is how he plays with the Red Devils and the other is how he performs with the French national side.
These are two drastically different sets of performances. The one with France seems to bring the best out of Pogba with a much better partnership in midfield. These performances have seen him do very well at international level, even winning the 2018 World Cup.
While at Manchester United, the performances have so often lacked intent. For some of them, the attacking output has been there but for the most part, Pogba has struggled to impose his authority on the game. He has more often than not fallen short of keeping up with his defensive duties and has adopted a very casual approach.
He has lost possession easily in midfield, been sloppy with his passes and been guilty of trying too hard at times. It so has looked like his heart is not there with Manchester United and may still be too lost in the idea of making his dream move to Real Madrid.
#3 His departure gives way to other players
Having Paul Pogba at Manchester United seems like a great option but his inconsistent performances have become a big problem. Dropping the Frenchman is not an easy task, especially given the noise it creates.
Then too, what needs to be done is to be done. Manchester United have looked like a better team without Paul Pogba. They have had better fluidity and more defensive security in the absence of the French midfielder. Pogba has helped turn matches around in the past but he needs to be doing it on a consistent basis for a club of Manchester United's stature.
The likes of Donny van de Beek can surely benefit from Paul Pogba's departure. With the former Juventus midfielder gone, Van de Beek will clearly have more opportunities and can hopefully benefit from it. With a different formation or system, even other midfielders like Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata can get some playing time under their belt.
#2 Struggled in multiple systems at Manchester United
When Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016, big things were expected to happen at Old Trafford. Under then manager Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman looked sharp at first but the relationship between the two was severely hampered.
Following Mourinho's departure, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over and since then Pogba has lost and found his rhythm. Solskjaer has preferred the 4-3-3 formation where the 2018 World Cup winner has played as a left central midfielder, central midfielder and also sometimes as a left-winger. Unfortunately, no position can guarantee a consistent performance from Paul Pogba.
A 4-4-2 diamond formation was also tried by Solskjaer but even that didn't help Paul Pogba's cause. The Frenchman is always lacking out on things at Manchester United and there are limitations to the number of chances that he can be given.
#1 Paul Pogba is highly inconsistent
Paul Pogba is a phenomenal player on his day and there are very few players in the world who can strongly compete against him when it happens. On his day, he's one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, who can create at will and orchestrate a dominating performance on the pitch.
With his incisive passing and vision, he has the ability to create some thrilling goals. He also possesses the technique to score some stunning long-range goals. Using his tall and strong physique, not many players can protect and carry the ball as well as Paul Pogba can do.
Despite so much talent at his disposal, the Manchester United midfielder has contributed directly to just 64 goals in 146 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils. It is an underachievement for a player of his caliber.
Changes in management and systems have played their part but there's no excuse for Paul Pogba's inconsistency and lethargic approach on the pitch. It is best for both him and the club that he leaves come next summer.