Opinion: The Paul Pogba situation at Manchester United

Ever since the departed Manchester United academy star returned from Juventus, there has been a brouhaha surrounding his arrival at The Theater Of Dreams. Pogba's arrival at Old Trafford from Juventus despite no Champions League for The Red Devils proved a point that the club still holds the charisma needed to attract star players from everywhere.

Pogba was a star at Juventus and a key man for France in those days, and his arrival at Manchester United sparked an excitement for the amazing days ahead. He was expected to bring back those good old glory days for United, which fans have been longing for since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Enter Jose Mourinho, a serial winner who was saddled with the responsibility of bringing back titles to the club and take Manchester United to Champions League. He is someone who likes his players in a pre defined, well knit, and disciplined formation with specific duties assigned to each player on the pitch.

Jose Mourinho - resolute

Each player is assigned with defensive duties when the team is not in possession of the ball. Mourinho has always been winning this way, whether it was at Inter Milan or Chelsea or Real Madrid. He isn't one who would take a step back when it comes to having altercations with other managers, touchline staff or his own locker room players. He had a rift with Tito Vilanova, Ramos, Ronaldo, Pepe and even Casillas at Real Madrid.

Although Manchester United is no different from the clubs he has managed before, but his old tactics are proving to be too much for players these days. Pogba for instance loves to move forward and create chances and shoot for the goal. He is known for running with the ball and long range shooting as well as creating spectacular chances for his forwards.

He is someone who doesn't like the defensive shackles on him and would rather want to be his own boss on the pitch. Mourinho used Pogba as a defensive midfielder who could break away forward on occasions, but this didn't go down well with the Frenchman. He was caught in double minds and couldn't produce his best in Mourinho's first season at United.

Paul Pogba - World Champion

The arrival of Matic gave him some freedom, and Pogba did start to influence big games. Not to forget the Manchester Derby in which he single-handedly changed the course of the game and got the victory for Manchester United.

The truth is Pogba is inconsistent for the club. He may have produced spectacular performances for France at the World Cup and led them to glory, but his performances for the club speak otherwise.

One day he is the unbeatable beast, and the other day he goes missing on the pitch. Mourinho was right when he didn't praise Pogba enough for his performances at the World Cup for the French team and was right in pointing out that the World Cup is closed for months where players only concentrate on football and nothing else, and Pogba should display the same dedication and performances for the club which he plays for.

Agent Mino Raiola - seemingly looking for a way out for Pogba

This didn't go down well with the French star, and he felt as if he deserved more praise from his club manager for the performances he displayed at the World Cup. Pogba has since been eyeing a move away from the club.

His agent is constantly locking horns with football pundits and critics publicly, and is seemingly looking for alternatives - Barcelona or a move back to Juventus for Pogba.

Although Pogba says that he has buried the hatchet with the Manager and is under a contract and would always give his best for the club, his interviews speak otherwise, and we get a hint that he is not happy and may be looking for a move elsewhere.

Maybe Mourinho was right about pointing out Pogba's performances for the club after the World Cup, and maybe he wasn't, but the fact is - a person who feels appreciated will always deliver more than what is expected of him.

Will Pogba move away in the January transfer window? Lets wait and watch.