Paul Pogba says he “still has a contract” at Manchester United but did not commit his long-term future to the Premier League club. The 25-year-old midfielder fell out of favour last season and was linked with a move to La Liga champions Barcelona in the summer. Manager Jose Mourinho said last month he “couldn’t be happier” with Pogba.
Speaking before the Uefa Nations League match against Germany, Pogba added: “I still have a contract, I am playing there at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months.”
Luis Suarez believes that Paul Pogba is the kind of player that should be part of a more competitive team and has opened the door for him to join to Barcelona. Pogba was linked with a move to Barcelona during the summer transfer window after reportedly falling out with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. The French World Cup winner said that he feared being fined if he explained how he really felt at Old Trafford. Barcelona were reportedly interested in signing Pogba in the summer but a a move did not materialise, although Suarez said that he would be very welcome addition to the Spanish champions.
The Paul Pogba story has been anything but what the tabloids predicted a couple of seasons ago. His first touch on his return in a United t-shirt was absolutely horrendous and probably that was the good ol’ omens telling us that everything was not just to be all Rosy for the new Red Devil.
And that was actually what seems to have happened to the world’s once most expensive player. He reportedly cost United near to €110mil when the French midfielder returned to his boyhood club after a successful stint at Juventus among much fanfare. Although he continues to remain a fan-favourite at the Stretford End, his performance has been highly erratic. Some nights he is an absolute Beast on the pitch winning the 50/50 tackles and marshalling the midfield like a seasoned veteran while on other nights he simply looks uninterested and his work-rate and efficiency drops down dizzyingly.
Jose Mourinho has not helped the matters either as he continuously deployed PaulPogba in a 2 man deep-lying midfield alongside Matic in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the Frenchman making it absolutely clear that he is most comfortable while playing on the left side of a midfield three in a 4-3-3. However, the Portuguese coach did not relent and even called out Pogba to be more efficient off the ball and the pair had a fall-out in a humiliating 2-0 loss to Tottenham.
Injuries and a few suspensions also kept him out of the reckoning for a good period of time and he was definitely not thrilled with the prospect of not playing football on a regular basis. Finally, what many consider to be the final nail in the coffin was Pogba being left out of the starting 11 against Sevilla which led to United being ousted at the last-16 stage by the Spanish side.
Among all these reasons the boring football being played under the former Madrid coach has resulted in a visible downfall in Pogba’s attacking game and has not helped him realize his full potential in a United t-shirt. Compare this with his outstanding performance for France which concluded with Pogba lifting the World Cup – Paul was an absolute monster, he was their leader on the pitch and was their most influential player by far.
It is understandable that the current World Cup winner is looking for new pastures and he will leave behind a big void at Old Trafford. Let us take a look at players who can fill this huge hole in the United team and continue bringing glory to the red half of Manchester.