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Ever since Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world-record transfer fee of £89m, there has always been constant talk of the Frenchman’s uncertain future at the club.
The club now needs to either convince Paul Pogba to extend the contract or sell him. If they don't manage this, they will have to watch him walk away on a free transfer as he has entered the final 12 months of his contract.
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This makes one wonder as to what is going on with both club and the player. There have been many reasons for this situation. It all started when Jose Mourinho was appointed as the manager. The defensive-minded playing style adopted by the Portuguese didn’t suit the Frenchman.
Paul Pogba's additional defensive duties under Mourinho were hindering his attacking output and he was clearly struggling to fit in with his teammates. This and Pogba’s outgoing nature caused a rift with the manager.
The Frenchman was also not happy with the level of his teammates. Paul Pogba thrives in a well-structured system, which is the case with the French national team. With N’golo Kante behind him excelling in his defensive duties and with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe up front, Pogba led France to World Cup glory in 2018.
A similar support system was missing earlier at Manchester United with not many players at the level of the Frenchman.
Things have changed since then. Manchester United have clearly been in the ascendancy since Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over. In the two full seasons that Ole has been in charge, the Red Devils have finished third and second in 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons respectively. They also reached the Europa League final last season and narrowly missed out on the trophy following a penalty shoot-out loss.
The team has seen a marked improvement since Solskjær took over with a host of world-class players joining the club. Bruno Fernandes has clearly been the pick of the lot alongside Harry Maguire and Edinson Cavani. The new signings this year, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, will further strengthen the team.
The improvement in the level of performances of homegrown players such as Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw has also benefited the club.
After a rebuilding job for just over two years, the Norwegian coach looks ready to lead this team to Premier League and Champions League glory this year. These are certainly exciting times at Old Trafford and Paul Pogba should be looking at leading this project.
