Next season could belong to Paul Pogba…
When putting together our list of the ten central midfielders of the season this week, Daniel Storey made an impassioned plea for Sam Clucas. Thankfully, the final decision always lies with the editor, so Paul Pogba was included at the expense of the ginger prince. Soft-hearted Storey was making a judgement based on expectations; even he could not argue that the Hull midfielder had actually played better than Pogba.
The truth is that we have all felt a little let down by Pogba. We have all felt a little cheated. We wanted to see the dominant powerhouse of Juventus return to England and be an irresistible and unstoppable presence. Instead, he has been pretty good. The problem with ‘pretty good’ is that it doesn’t normally cost £89m, so it’s tempting to write him off as a flop, a waste of money.
There have undoubtedly been games where he has disappeared, although there is a list of mitigating circumstances featuring fatigue after two long seasons sandwiching a European Championship, a constant shift in positions and teammates, a first campaign in the faster-paced Premier League and the fact that he is now providing bullets for Jesse Lingard rather than Paulo Dybala or Alvaro Morata.
But there have also been games when Pogba has looked head and shoulders above his teammates and the opposition, and one of those came in Vigo on Thursday night. There is an argument that he should look impressive against a mid-table Spanish side, but this was still a Europa League semi-final and Pogba was immense. His was the complete midfield performance: Driving forward into space, creating the clearest chance of the night, and yet never forgetting his defensive duties.
United did not dominate possession and yet nobody on the pitch touched the ball more times than Pogba, who surged past six Celta Vigo players, providing Manchester United’s only non-aerial route into the final third. Marouane Fellaini might be taller but Pogba looked like the colossus in that midfield. United have lacked dynamism in his absence over the last week, but the Frenchman has certainly benefited from the rest.
That top ten central midfielders list has boasted the same two names at its summit over the last two seasons, with N’Golo Kante and Mousa Dembele consistently excellent and deserving of plaudits aplenty. I would be astonished if Pogba did not usurp at least one of those players next season, when he has had a longer rest, a full pre-season and his new teammates are likely to be a little more on his wavelength.
“I think in a couple of years you will realise he was cheap,” said Jose Mourinho in February. Whether we will ever think £89m is cheap is debatable, but it might not take a couple of years to realise that he is a phenomenal player.
Sarah Winterburn
