Merci Paul

Esquire

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I asked you a question, I made no suggestion. Now from the little I know about Pogba, he has always been more comfortable when he wasn't the main man, I remember him being easily frustrated with France when he was the main man and considerably more relaxed and happy when he wasn't.

Now thinking a bit more about your previous post and the one I'm quoting, I suspect that you are mixing Pogba being flamboyant with him wanting to be the main man which aren't the same thing.
I don’t think I am as I have nothing against his flamboyance. I actually liked his showmanship. What I had a problem with was his application and consistency. Either way it’s a sad ending to what could have been a beautiful United career. For many reasons both his fault and otherwise (I feel largely his fault), this deal not working out is just depressing. So I didn’t feel the need to thank him for anything. He underperformed badly.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Pogba wasn't "the man" for the hype but he was a far better player for us than is given credit for. His first season in particular, there was a weird narrative about him being a flop when individually he was actually very good. He should have left last season, the club should have made more of an effort to push him out as he's been phoning it in this season.
 

redflash

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He was underwhelming and not the superstar we thought we'd signed.

Hes another player who had a fantastic marketing campaign on coming here...just a shame he wasn't consistent because on his day he was class...only his days were few and far between.

Farewell Paul, all the best
 

JPRouve

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I don’t think I am as I have nothing against his flamboyance. I actually liked his showmanship. What I had a problem with was his application and consistency. Either way it’s a sad ending to what could have been a beautiful United career. For many reasons both his fault and otherwise (I feel largely his fault), this deal not working out is just depressing. So I didn’t feel the need to thank him for anything. He underperformed badly.
This has nothing to do with wanting to be the main man which is what you used as a criticism. When I asked you about that you talked about Pogba wanting the limelight.

And Pogba has never been consistent, many posters mentioned it before the signings, it's amazing that we are in 2022 and people still have no clue about the player he was before 2016 and are still overrating him.
 

mu4c_20le

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He was decent for us. He didn't have to come here when Juve was at the top and we were in shambles. People always expected him to be someone he's not, and we never really used him correctly.

He's the cherry on top of a successful team not the heartbeat.
 

lefty_jakobz

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I don't care about the hate he gets on here, loved him as a player, when he was good he was really good just a shame we couldn't get it consistently from him.

Good luck and hope he has a great career onwards.
 

Teja

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I genuinely believe he wanted to lead United's rebuild but for one reason or another it didn't work out. Mistakes, bad luck on both sides.

Good luck back at Juve (hopefully)!
 

JPRouve

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He was decent for us. He didn't have to come here when Juve was at the top and we were in shambles. People always expected him to be someone he's not, and we never really used him correctly.

He's the cherry on top of a successful team not the heartbeat.
We used him correctly, the issue is that we never built a complete team. It's the same issue than the one we have with Sancho or Bruno, we expect individual players to fix collective issues.
 

Xanther

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Merci Paul. I'll remember his time with regret; I firmly believe Utd let him down more than he did Utd.

Hope he makes up for it at his next club, there's still time.
 

TsuWave

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Let’s see. Elite teams have quality all around but they all have a talisman. Benzema, Mbappe, Salah, etc. for their respective teams. Pogba wanted to be the main man but neither had the mental fortitude or the work ethic to be one. He had his moments, sure, but literally could count them on one hand. Authorised his agent to embarrass the club. Good riddance.
For every player you mentioned, I could mention one more in the same team as equally or more important. Elite teams have elite players all around - the sooner you people move away from this talisman buffoonery the better for everybody.
 

Jeppers7

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Yeah, basically this.

Pogba’s credit for the whole City comeback thing pisses me off anyway. We only needed to come back from behind in that match because they ran rings around us in the first half. Thanks in no small part to a typically shambolic individual performance from none other than Paul Pogba.
At least we came back. Could’ve done with a comeback in that Arsenal game a few weeks back. 2-0 down we get one back...the comebacks on...then one player goes and ruins it spectacularly. A truly abysmal performance, that in a season racked with them. He saved his worst for the last game of the season though. Trying to trump costing us CL by putting us in the conference, the guy never learns.
 

Jeppers7

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Thanks for being one of a handful of players worth watching and being a key player in our last successful team.
 

Von Mistelroum

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Honestly can't stand the guy. I think a few younger fans were won over by the hair and dancing and stuff but he didn't play well often and seemed far too distracted by his own self image. Please no more players like this at United now that him and Lingard are gone.
 

SER19

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Thanks for nothing, don't let the door hit you while you're dabbing out, manchild
 

Jeppers7

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We used him correctly, the issue is that we never built a complete team. It's the same issue than the one we have with Sancho or Bruno, we expect individual players to fix collective issues.
Spot on
 

Ace_Ventura

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Merci for what? Good riddance I say, what a waste of 200M spread over 6 years.
 

NotoriousISSY

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He wasn't as bad as the media made out - pound for pound there are worse moves we've made and certainly a few recent worse ones in the wider PL space.

He also wasn't as good as the talent he possesses and it's also pretty clear on more than one occasion he's given up and downed tools.

For that reason I have little gratitude for his service and have no particular interest in where he goes and what he does.

Such a shame.
 

Irwin99

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I really don't have a lot of nice memories about the guy but the goals vs City in 2018 were the highlight. His one period of sustained world class form with Matic and Herrera actually ended up getting Ole the job permanently :nervous:
 

diarm

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He wasn't as bad as the media made out - pound for pound there are worse moves we've made and certainly a few recent worse ones in the wider PL space.

He also wasn't as good as the talent he possesses and it's also pretty clear on more than one occasion he's given up and downed tools.

For that reason I have little gratitude for his service and have no particular interest in where he goes and what he does.

Such a shame.
I'm not so anti the guy as many are, but are there many worse moves we've made?

From our big money signings; Veron didn't work out but we got a decent fee for him from Chelsea. Di Maria was a disaster but we got almost all his fee back when he went and we didn't lose as much as we could've from Lukaku either.

For what we've spent on Pogba over his two stints here, and what he's left for both times, he must be the worst move surely?

If Maguire leaves on a free he might have competition, but until then I reckon the title is his.
 
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Some good moments, lots of forgettable ones. Overall £85 million and £300K, or whatever it was, per week was a huge waste of money. It's criminal how much money we have wasted in the past ten years.
 

Keefy18

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We used him correctly, the issue is that we never built a complete team. It's the same issue than the one we have with Sancho or Bruno, we expect individual players to fix collective issues.
How was he used correctly in a midfield of McFred and admitting we had collective issues?
 

Ahmer Baig

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The only memorable game I remember is beating City at their home ground to delay the inevitable PL trophy win.
 

Mockney

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Him dancing with the crowd in Stockholm is genuinely one of the most joyful memories I have of the last 7 or so years, so I find it hard to be too bitter towards him to be honest. He also scored in that game only a month or so after his father passed, so it was a genuinely quite touching moment, back at his academy club, winning a (somewhat) major trophy.

All downhill from there, but you have to appreciate those things in football, it’s what it’s about, after all.




 
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lex talionis

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An incredible talent, but his focus and commitment were poor. Bizarre he had so little impact over his six seasons.
 

JPRouve

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How was he used correctly in a midfield of McFred and admitting we had collective issues?
What you wrote makes no sense, even when trying to defend Pogba you expose the issue. First when you have Pogba, McTominay and Fred on the field your midfield is made of all of them, it's not a midfield of McFred. And the issues with that combination isn't the individual roles that these players have or can operate in but how they collectively fit with each others. That midfield has never been complimentary, collectively they don't give us all the elements that a functioning midfield require.

In isolation Pogba has been used in a role that suits him but that role doesn't suit with the players next to him and unfortunately the players next to him don't even fit with each others. You could make the same point with Bruno, we are using him in a role that suits him but his role doesn't suit our needs nor does it fit with his teammates.
 

Red Royal

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I look back and remember those penalties he took with something like 30 small footsteps in his run up.... he did like the drama build up!
 

The Original

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All the best to the man, Paul Pogba. Has been one of the few enjoyable things about watching Man Utd over the past 6 years.
 
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Keefy18

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What you wrote makes no sense, even when trying to defend Pogba you expose the issue. First when you have Pogba, McTominay and Fred on the field your midfield is made of all of them, it's not a midfield of McFred. And the issues with that combination isn't the individual roles that these players have or can operate in but how they collectively fit with each others. That midfield has never been complimentary, collectively they don't give us all the elements that a functioning midfield require.

In isolation Pogba has been used in a role that suits him but that role doesn't suit with the players next to him and unfortunately the players next to him don't even fit with each others. You could make the same point with Bruno, we are using him in a role that suits him but his role doesn't suit our needs nor does it fit with his teammates.
You stated we used him correctly in a broken team essentially and gave Bruno and Sancho as newer examples.

Our midfield has been atrocious since the day he signed for us as you correctly point out here the balance is not right...but it didn't stop folks from expecting him to be a Keane and Scholes all in one. That isn't who he is at all.

He's only ever shown form over a period of time in a midfield trio and playing slightly to the left side both for us, Juve and France.

He'll show glimpses here n there in other roles of what he can do but that's where you'll get the best from him.

He's rarely been used in that role for us at all, he has generally been in the double pivot in a 4231 set up... which we are absolutely married to in the post Fergie era!
 

Fridge chutney

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He seems a genuine and nice guy, shame it didn't work out as we all hoped.

Sometimes a clean slate is best for both parties.
 

JPRouve

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You stated we used him correctly in a broken team essentially and gave Bruno and Sancho as newer examples.

Our midfield has been atrocious since the day he signed for us as you correctly point out here the balance is not right...but it didn't stop folks from expecting him to be a Keane and Scholes all in one. That isn't who he is at all.

He's only ever shown form over a period of time in a midfield trio and playing slightly to the left side both for us, Juve and France.

He'll show glimpses here n there in other roles of what he can do but that's where you'll get the best from him.

He's rarely been used in that role for us at all, he has generally been in the double pivot in a 4231 set up... which we are absolutely married to in the post Fergie era!
France has used him in all sorts of roles including the ones he played for United, in fact Pogba has excelled for France on the right side of a midfield, he has played there more regularly than the left. Both Juventus and France have used him in a multitude of roles depending on the teams' needs, the only key point has been an actual attempt to find team wide balance.

Also you are trying to impose an individual viewpoint to a team issue which is strange particularly when Pogba isn't even limited to one setup or role.
 

Hackman2210

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Close the door on your way out - epitomy of the glazers and woodward regime - all promise no substance
 

Dans

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Nothing to thank him for. He took home more than a million a month and delivered very little.