Premier League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Manchester United should sell Paul Pogba this summer

With literally weeks to go in the 2018-19 season, attention has already begun to turn to the summer’s transfer window, which is due to open at the end of this month. One big name rumoured to be making a possible move? Manchester United’s Paul Pogba.

The French midfielder has had an up-and-down season at Old Trafford, with a poor start highlighted by a fall-out with then-boss Jose Mourinho, an upturn in form during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s period as caretaker boss, and then a bit of a tail-off in the last few weeks. Despite this though, reports linking the World Cup winner with a move away from Manchester – probably to Real Madrid – simply aren't going away.

So should United sell him or keep him? Here are three reasons why they should probably look to sell Pogba this summer.

#1 He’d fetch a huge transfer fee

Pogba could apparently fetch a fee of around £130m if United decide to sell

It feels like ages since Manchester United broke the world record transfer fee to bring Pogba to Old Trafford from Juventus, paying the Italian giants £89m for the Frenchman, and yet the transfer only happened 3 years ago. The feeling that it’s been longer may well have something to do with the transfer market itself, which has exploded to new heights since Pogba’s move.

When you consider Pogba’s inconsistent form since his move, you’d probably jump to the conclusion that to sell him the Red Devils would make a loss. But that likely wouldn’t be the case.

Since the summer of 2017 – which saw Paris St. Germain smash the Pogba record by more than double by paying almost £200m for Neymar – there have been four transfers made upwards of £100m. And given Pogba’s high profile, word is that if United were to sell him, they’d also demand a fee of over £130m for him.

Would a side like Real Madrid be willing to pay such a fee? The honest answer is probably yes. Despite his inconsistent form, on his day Pogba is one of the best midfielders in the world, and his high profile means that he fits the bill for a ‘Galactico’ type of signing for Real.

So if United can get that kind of money for him, they should definitely sell. While they don’t necessarily need the money, they may well be better off selling Pogba and replacing him with one or two other players who might fit more easily into Solskjaer’s plans. And by fetching that kind of fee for Pogba, United could justify signing pretty much anyone.

#2 He apparently wants to leave

Pogba has openly flirted with a move to Real Madrid in recent months

Despite the hype around Pogba’s return to Old Trafford in 2016, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the French superstar since he arrived there. His form has been patchy for the past three seasons despite some flashes of his tremendous talent, and in all honesty it’s never really felt like he truly belongs at Manchester United - the way past superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy did.

Part of that feeling could be because in Pogba’s mind, United isn’t his final destination. Plenty of players are linked with sides like Real Madrid – Harry Kane, Eden Hazard and Christian Eriksen come to mind for recent years – but it’s rare to see a player at a massive club like Manchester United openly discuss a possible move elsewhere. And yet that’s exactly what Pogba did last month when he was asked about a possible move to the Bernabeu.

During the international break, Pogba stated that a move to Real Madrid would be “a dream for anyone”, and that working under Real boss Zinedine Zidane would be equally enticing. He did claim that he was “happy” at United, but then immediately said that “we don’t know what the future holds”.

To me, that doesn’t sound like a player who’s really content with staying at United and helping them get back to their former glory.

And if that is indeed the case, then why should United want to keep him? Admittedly, he doesn’t cut an unhappy figure right now, but with current reports suggesting he wants to engineer a move to Madrid, the Red Devils might be better off cutting their losses now rather than getting into a protracted transfer saga which could prove a distraction.

#3 It’d be a chance to change United’s image

Signing big names like Alexis Sanchez hasn't helped United bring back the glory years

Part of United’s problem since the Alex Ferguson era ended in 2013 has been their apparent belief that because they’re one of the biggest dogs in the Premier League yard, they need to behave that way in terms of their transfer activity.

It never used to be like that in their glory years though. Despite clearly being the largest club in England during the 1990s and 2000s, it was rare to see them throw their weight around in the transfer market.

While Ferguson did sign the odd superstar – Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie come to mind - for the most part, he focused on signing players who would fit into his system and would be committed to the club ethos. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Ruud Van Nistelrooy weren’t the huge superstars they would eventually become when they first joined United – they had to work for that status at Old Trafford.

That’s not been the case since Ferguson left. United have almost become an English version of Real Madrid circa 2003, signing big-name players like Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and yes, Paul Pogba, purely because of their superstar value and their ability to sell replica shirts, rather than how they might fit into the team.

Selling Pogba would send a message that this era of excess without success is changing. It’s already been reported that United want to change their transfer strategy by focusing on signing young prospects again. And getting rid of Pogba would not only free up space in the squad, but it’d also mean that under Solskjaer, name value no longer matters – especially when it isn’t performing consistently.

That’d send the right message to any new signings – and to United’s younger talent too – that it’s no longer about shirt sales, but about success on the pitch. And that might be the key to bringing back the philosophy that got United to where they are today.