Paul Pogba who returned to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world record transfer fee of €105 million (£89.3 million). The fee paid for him remains the highest paid by an English club, after he had earlier left the Red Devils for Juventus on a free transfer in 2012.
Pogba helped Juventus to four consecutive Serie A titles, as well as two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.
During his time in Italy, Pogba further established himself as one of the most promising young players in the world, and received the Golden Boy award in 2013, followed by the Bravo Award in 2014. In 2016, Pogba was named in the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year, as well as the 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI, after helping Juventus to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, their first in 12 years.
In his first season at Manchester United after making his return, Paul Pogba won the League Cup and the Europa League. While in the 2018-19 season, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Pogba’s intelligence and understanding of the game has made him one of the most respected and complete midfielder. He is also capable of playing on the left, in a holding role, as a deep-lying playmaker, in a box-to-box role, or even as an attacking midfielder.
A large, quick, hard-working and physically strong player, standing at 6ft 3in, it gives him an advantage to excel in the air, and is also known for his stamina, as well as his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance; he has also drawn praise for his finesse, technique, flair, and dribbling skills, as well as his ability to hold up the ball with charisma.
His control of the ball and the way he can swiftly change the play from defence to attack is special and stands out among others.
This season, Pogba haven’t had the same control and influence like his previous seasons, as he had been involved in a racial abuse with the fans and coupled with some niggling injuries here and there. His form had suffered greatly and it can be said that, his team are struggling to fill his void.
After suffering a foot injury which limited him to two appearances between August and October. On 30 September, he made his 100th Premier League appearance in a 1–1 home draw against Arsenal. In late October it was announced that he would be out until December 2019.
It has unfortunately reduced him to just five Premier League starts this season, with his last appearance for the Red Devils coming in the Boxing Day win against Newcastle.
Though it was revealed by the Red Devils’ coach Ole Gunner Solksjaer that Pogba is back in training and has been working closely with Michael Carrick in order to get up to speed. But the Pandemic crisis has led to a further delay on his return.
But a big question mark is still been placed upon his attitude and willingness to remain at Old Trafford. He had been perceived to be disinterested with making further impact at the club hereby playing below the level which he had shown in the past.
But one of his new teammate, has come to his defense, stating some reasons why Red Devils’ fans should remain hopeful of seeing the best of Pogba once more.
In the interview on the club’s website, Bruno Fernandes stated that: “I know Paul (Pogba) from Juventus, because I played against him in Italy. And believe me, it’s really hard to play against Paul. He has power, he has techniques. It’s difficult to find a player like Paul: big, strong and technical. I hope he comes back soon”.
“Paul (Pogba) is coming from a bad moment, because of the situation. When he played also, the club and the team was not good, because the expectations are high for Paul, because Paul is a top player and Man Utd pays a lot for him, and expectations are a lot for him”.
“It’s normal when you’re in that situation, you don’t play like a superstar, because everyone expects from Paul (Pogba) like they expect from (Christiano) Ronaldo at Juventus or like (Lionel) Messi at Barcelona”.
“Everyone expects this from Paul (Pogba) at Manchester because they know he has the qualities for this. Also this is confidence in Paul. The team, we have a lot of confidence in Paul”.
Will this latest revelation spring up a new era of greatness for Paul Pogba and boost his confidence?
Will the fans at Old Trafford be ready to give Paul Pogba another chance to redeem himself at the club, base on the Portuguese International player’s statement?
