Five youth players Manchester United let get away

1) Paul Pogba

“The one that got away” is the best line to describe Paul Pogba. The talented French youngster was considered to be one of the hottest prospects to come through the Manchester United production line before contract disputes and perceived ill-treatment at the hands of the manager prompted the young Frenchman to leave Manchester United for Italian giants Juventus. The defensive midfielder joined United’s youth academy as a 16-year old in 2009 from Le Havre. He immediately made an impact, ending his debut season with 19 starts in which he notched up 7 goals for the reserves. As time passed, it was more than apparent that this was a very special player. There were some stating that he was the best young player to emerge from United since a certain Paul Scholes nearly 20 years ago. Pogba is a defensive midfielder, but posses class on the ball that is expected from a creative player. He is also adept at chipping in with the occasional goal from midfield, a trait that is worth its weight in gold. But, alas, Manchester United dropped the ball on this one. At the end of the 2011-12 season, Pogba joined Juventus after refusing to sign a contract extension with United. The transfer was nothing short of acrimonious, as Sir Alex was infuriated with both the midfielder and Juventus. Pogba has stated on numerous occasions that it was the lack of faith shown in his abilities by Sir Alex that prompted him to look elsewhere. He claims that the last straw came when the manager called Scholes out of retirement when United was hit by a midfield injury crisis instead of giving Pogba a chance.

Looking at the situation at United now, with them in desperate need of a domineering midfield presence, one can only wonder “what if …” with the Pogba situation.