Barely a week goes by without some transfer rumor or other linking Paul Pogba with a move away from Manchester United, and now, with the French international continually failing to make a consistent impact at Old Trafford, arguably most fans of the Premier League team would happily see the World Cup winner leave for pastures new.
Things are not going well at Manchester United. Their hopes of securing the all-important fourth spot in the Premier League are in tatters, and even the most hopeful sports betting fan wouldn’t touch such a wager now.
Expensive Failure
If a new manager is to succeed, he will need to conduct a major clearout, and that would start with the club’s underperforming stars, not least because they take up far too much of the wage bill, and that leads us nearly to 29-year-old midfielder Pogba.
Reports this week suggest that the former Juventus man has already met with PSG chief Leonardo and will join the French giants on a free transfer. It’s a move that Man United tried to avoid by offering the player a new deal, which he has promptly turned down, leaving the club likely to lose a player who cost them £89m to re-sign in 2016 (Pogba having been a youngster at the club some years before) and will now lose him for nothing in the summer.
Inconsistent
Those who criticize Pogba, and that’s a large group, would all admit that on his day, he is a world-beater but that he is rarely playing at his best and his inconsistent displays are the type of issue that infuriates fans of a club that has fallen way down the pecking order since Sir Alex Ferguson retired almost a decade ago.
If you wanted proof of that inconsistency, then look no further than this season’s stats. Pogba started the season with a bang by providing four assists in Man United’s 5-1 demolition of Leeds United. In the 21 games he’s featured in since that superb performance, he’s managed just five assists and one solitary goal.
PSG’s interest in Pogba may well be more in relation to the marketability of the French international than his abilities on the field of play. It should be noted that he is also being linked with interest from Premier League teams Aston Villa and Newcastle United, and that should also set the alarm bells ringing.
If interest in your services is made up by two teams in the wrong half of the Premier League, then there’s clearly something not right.
Some also question Pogba’s attitude, and his recent comments on his Man United career will no doubt anger many;
‘The last five seasons have not satisfied me – really not at all.’
‘This year, it is dead; we won’t win anything. Whether it is with Manchester United or at another club, I want to win trophies.’
Such comments do little to placate the anger that is felt towards Pogba, not least as the reason Man United is not winning trophies is, in part, due to his lack of impact on far too many games of the season.
The sooner he leaves Man United, the better, as in many ways, the relationship between the player and his club isn’t helping either party.
