We’ve had this Paul Pogba situation for, what, at least two years now? It just carries on and carries on, endlessly. I’m bored of it, the fans are bored of it, who isn’t? On his day and on his game, he’s world-class. There are times when Man United have struggled without him, we know he can be a game-changer for the team, that’s what he can do.
But although he’s been injured for a while, those game-changing moments were becoming fewer and farther between. Let’s be honest, from day one he never truly settled back at United.
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We know he was there as a kid, and he probably expected a romantic return, but ultimately problems started from the outset. To me, it says that he’s known in the back of his head all of this time that he knows he’s made the wrong decision.
He sensed that going back to Old Trafford was simply a bad idea.
That can easily happen, too. He’s come from Juventus, going back to his former club, feeling like the prodigal son. The reality was much different.
He got caught up in the romance, but as I’ve previously said about Jadon Sancho, you can’t just base a move on and that and hope it’ll work out. Sometimes it does, but more often than not, you have to properly look at where you fit, where you’re going to play, the manager and the teammates around you. You need to think of all the permutations before you make such a big switch, and I believe Pogba got far too caught up in returning to United, rather than looking at the whole picture.
If he was being honest, when he got there I think he’s gone to himself: ‘Hmm. This wasn’t what I’d built it up to be. Was this the right idea?’
If Ole wants to take Man United forward, he needs to get rid of Pogba
Those feelings are still there now, he regrets his decision, and that’s clear.
What’s disappointing is the way he’s acted, his behaviour and performances reflect that he’s been unsure about his decision. You compare that to Bruno Fernandes, and his arrival at United, and it’s crazy. He’s come in and hit the ground running fairly instantly, winning over the fans in the process.
Pogba never did that, and his performances have been inconsistent, to say the least.
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Sometimes they’ve been on the border of diabolical, and occasionally they’ve been brilliant. When you cost that kind of money as a player, fans expect you to be consistently great, especially when you’re playing for Man United. Their expectations are very high.
The on-pitch performances, plus his behaviour off the pitch, with his agent and generally acting up, isn’t good for the club. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to take the club forward, to build and to instil the ‘United Way’ back into the team, then Pogba’s actions don’t reflect that.
The way he’s been acting and behaving recently, he just isn’t good for the club.
If you want the right attitude and mentality, and high standards, then sorry, but that doesn’t fit in with Paul Pogba. There’s been too many distractions, too many reports around him and his behaviour, so his time for me is up.
Perhaps if Fernandes hadn’t come in and done as well as he has done, maybe Ole might try and keep Pogba.
But now, he might be thinking if I can get the right money for Pogba, then I can let him go. It’s a shame because he could’ve been a great player for the club, but he isn’t a great player at the moment.
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Ultimately, he’s a distraction and his behaviour impacts and damages the rest of the team.
Now, if he was performing out of his skin every week and changing games, you could forgive him for his behaviour even when he’s being a nightmare, but he isn’t, so why bother? If he’s not performing, just let him go, get rid.
The decision needs to be made, and quickly because we can’t have another season of the Pogba circus. He wouldn’t even get in the side at the moment.
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