Opinion | How do you solve a problem like Paul Pogba? Frenchman’s desire to leave Manchester United likely to descend into summer-long transfer saga
- Frenchman indicates in TV interview that it may be time to leave Old Trafford
- Manchester United likely to want to hold on to their prized asset
It wasn’t supposed to be like this between Manchester United and Paul Pogba. The Parisian wanted to join Real Madrid in 2016 but United did well to convince him to return to an inferior team instead, selling the idea that he would be the catalyst for recovery, the main man to make United great again. The record signing was celebrated, but it hasn’t been an overwhelming success.
Pogba has had his moments, he’s United’s most talented player and he’s popular enough among younger fans to be the club’s number one shirt-seller, but he’s lacked consistency. It doesn’t help that he’s surrounded by poorer players than the ones he excelled among in Turin or for the French national team where he’s a World Cup-winner.
Pogba has wanted to leave United for over a year. He wanted to join Barcelona a year ago, but the Catalans couldn’t afford his wages and United weren’t willing to sell. They’re still not – at least publicly. Pogba, 26, still has three years left to run on his contract.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows he has a problem with his midfielder. There are players who look up to him, but it’s a dressing room short of heroes.
Solskjaer will stick to the party line again – that Pogba’s not for sale and that he’s central to his team’s plans. He has severe doubts about this which don’t make his job any easier, but Solskjaer doesn’t have the power to act as decisively as Sir Alex Ferguson did when he wanted to sell key players including David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy. United were also far stronger then, they had Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo primed to run riot in Van Nistelrooy’s absence.