Paul Pogba / turned down United offer of 300k as “nothing”

[BenitoSTARR]

Just wondering, who else in the league would you have in this level?

We’ll I didn’t really have the PL in mind entirely when thinking about CMs of higher level to him but for what Pogba offers (creative/progressive CM/AM) I’d say the following in world football are above him especially based on the last couple of seasons

De Brunye
Kimmich
Kroos
Modric
Verratti
Alberto
Rodrigo De Paul

I think Pogba is then in the second bracket of players behind that still very good though.

Pogba
Barella
Sabitzer
Gundogan

But ahead of the likes of Tielemans, Mount, Aoaur, Milenkovic Savic etc.

In my eyes he’s an elite CM when he’s on song but what separates him from my top bracket is the consistency for club.

I do however think you can replace his creativity elsewhere by having someone like Bruno and Sancho who in world football are in the top 95+% for creative play. I honestly think Sancho is a better player and will have more of an impact then Pogba this season. What we need now is an excellent progressive passer for CM who can defend but get the ball to our creative threats.

 

[Borys]

If he’s ever second choice to those players in Ole’s mind it’s purely becuase we lack a true, decent DM with legs.

Simple as that because Paul Pogba p*sses all over McFred at everything except their combined effort of being one decent DM.

Poor Paul Pogba.

Forgotten as an AM because we got much more effective player in Bruno.

Only world class midfielder at United, but can't get into midfield because of football legends like Fred and McTominay being more effective there.

A victim of his agent who forgot to tell him that he's going to tell the world about Paul being unhappy at United, which happened to be just before one of the most important games of the season. What were the odds? So unlucky.

This thread should change title to "101 excuses for every occasion".

Now wait until he loses his spot on the left wing to Sancho. Which will eventually happen because he isn't a winger. I wonder what then we're going to do with him, we're running out of options.

The world truly is against him.

Poor Paul Pogba.

PS read that in Ryan Reynolds trailer voice.

 

[Infra-red]

For context where do you pull your stats from?

They are all from FBref.

https://fbref.com/en/squads/19538871/Manchester-United-Stats

I have added the link to the post.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

The likes of Hodjberg, Ndidi, Bousoma, Tielemans, Maddison and Soucek are on a similar level to Pogba, at least in terms of output anyway.

I’d argue that Pogba is still above those for what he does. I think he’s a progressive creative CM so you should compare him to progressive passers/ball carriers from CM/AM roles and statistically he’s above those you listed.

He absolutely has world class qualities but he’s not the best at anything. He is however a world class creator which none of those are.

https://fbref.com/en/players/867239d3/Paul-Pogba

 

[Random Task]

Indeed he is.

If we look at last season's stats for each of these data points, Pogba's ranking among United players (who played at least 500 minutes) is:

	Total	Per 90 minutes
Passes into the final third	4th	4th
Possession won	7th	9th
Passes into the box	4th	4th
Successful dribbles	2nd	2nd
Fouls won	4th	1st
Chances created	5th	6th
Assists	5th	10th
Goals	7th	10th

Selection of other stats:

	Total	Per 90 minutes
Progressive passes	5th	5th
Progressive carries	6th	3rd
Expected assists	7th	10th
Expected goals	8th	8th

Stats from FBref.

https://fbref.com/en/squads/19538871/Manchester-United-Stats

To be 10th in the assists and goals department seems poorer than expected. Are you sure these stats are legit?

 

[Random Task]

I’d argue that Pogba is still above those for what he does. I think he’s a progressive creative CM so you should compare him to progressive passers/ball carriers from CM/AM roles and statistically he’s above those you listed.

He absolutely has world class qualities but he’s not the best at anything. He is however a world class creator which none of those are.

https://fbref.com/en/players/867239d3/Paul-Pogba

I think he could above those. For me, Pogba has the ability to be head and shoulders above them if we're honest.

He should be up there with KDB, Veratti, Kroos and players of that ilk, but let's face it, he isn't, and his stats across the board are proof of that.

 

[TsuWave]

edit - already posted

 

[BenitoSTARR]

I think he could above those. For me, Pogba has the ability to be head and shoulders above them if we're honest.

He should be up there with KDB, Veratti, Kroos and players of that ilk, but let's face it, he isn't, and his stats across the board are proof of that.

No statistically he 100% is above them. There isn’t a sound argument or basis to suggest any of them are better creative midfielders than him.

I agree he should be capable of being at De Brunye levels but he isn’t for United. Don’t think he will be at this point.

 

[TsuWave]

If we look at last season's stats for each of these data points, Pogba's ranking among United players (who played at least 500 minutes) is:

“at least 500 minutes” seems like an arbitrary qualifier

 

[Random Task]

No statistically he 100% is above them. There isn’t a sound argument or basis to suggest any of them are better creative midfielders than him.

I agree he should be capable of being at De Brunye levels but he isn’t for United. Don’t think he will be at this point.

In the 5 years Pogba has been at United, only twice has he featured in the top ten for assists in a PL season - 8th in his first season, then 9th in the second - but has featured outside the top 40 in all other seasons. Even Dan James had more assists than Pogba in the 19/20 season.

Only once did he break into the top 40 for goals in a PL season when he finish 13th in 2019.


https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/stats/assists-player-statsdetail/2020-21

 

[Infra-red]

“at least 500 minutes” seems like an arbitrary qualifier

Indeed it is arbitrary, but if you are using per 90 stats, you have to cut out all of the people who played 5 minutes and created 3 chances, because they completely skew the rankings. Fosu-Mensah was definitely not our most creative player last season, but he is ahead of even Bruno in the xA rankings after only 80 minutes played.

Obviously none of this has any impact on the 'totals' column.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

In the 5 years Pogba has been at United, only twice has he featured in the top ten for assists in a PL season - 8th in his first season, then 9th in the second - but has featured outside the top 40 in all other seasons. Even Dan James had more assists than Pogba in the 19/20 season.

Only once did he break into the top 40 for goals in a PL season when he finish 13th in 2019.


https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/stats/assists-player-statsdetail/2020-21

Assists are one measure of creative play look at his fbref profile he’s comfortably ahead of others for his position for creative actions.

If you are basing it solely on assists and goals when I’m not arguing that then it’s a non starter of a discussion.

 

[Idxomer]

In the 5 years Pogba has been at United, only twice has he featured in the top ten for assists in a PL season - 8th in his first season, then 9th in the second - but has featured outside the top 40 in all other seasons. Even Dan James had more assists than Pogba in the 19/20 season.

Only once did he break into the top 40 for goals in a PL season when he finish 13th in 2019.


https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/stats/assists-player-statsdetail/2020-21

Pogba only played 16 PL games in that season and all of them were part of a 2 man midfield.

 

[Cassidy]

In the 5 years Pogba has been at United, only twice has he featured in the top ten for assists in a PL season - 8th in his first season, then 9th in the second - but has featured outside the top 40 in all other seasons. Even Dan James had more assists than Pogba in the 19/20 season.

Only once did he break into the top 40 for goals in a PL season when he finish 13th in 2019.


https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/stats/assists-player-statsdetail/2020-21

Pretty ridiculous comment, Pogba was injured most of the season and played a deeper role when he did play

 

[Random Task]

Assists are one measure of creative play look at his fbref profile he’s comfortably ahead of others for his position for creative actions.

If you are basing it solely on assists and goals when I’m not arguing that then it’s a non starter of a discussion.

I'm not downplaying other stats that are clearly important, but goals and assists are ultimately where a creative midfielder is judged first and foremost. It's the primary reason why a great number of United fans aren't fussed if he stays or leaves. He just isn't producing the goods consistently enough, certainly not for someone who is supposed to be world class.

Pretty ridiculous comment, Pogba was injured most of the season and played a deeper role when he did play

Pogba only played 16 PL games in that season and all of them were part of a 2 man midfield.

He still started 16 games and made 4 sub appearances, managing 1 goal and 1 assist. That's poor stats by any standards.

 

[Cassidy]

I'm not downplaying other stats that are clearly important, but goals and assists are ultimately where a creative midfielder is judged first and foremost. It's the primary reason why a great number of United fans aren't fussed if he stays or leaves. He just isn't producing the goods consistently enough, certainly not for someone who is supposed to be world class.





He still started 16 games and made 4 sub appearances, managing 1 goal and 1 assist. That's poor stats by any standards.

Playing deep midfield though right? You’re calling him a creative midfielder but he wasnt really playing that role

 

[BenitoSTARR]

I'm not downplaying other stats that are clearly important, but goals and assists are ultimately where a creative midfielder is judged first and foremost. It's the primary reason why a great number of United fans aren't fussed if he stays or leaves. He just isn't producing the goods consistently enough, certainly not for someone who is supposed to be world class.

I’m firmly in the non plussed camp so I feel happy in being impartial I’d be happy if he stayed or went as there are bonuses to both scenarios

What I would say though is that he is a world class creator by observable metrics he’s consistently in the top percentiles for creative actions so it’s a bit reductive to say only goals and assists are the decider. However as you say the headline stats are what many will judge him on and so while these don’t always reflect this I understand people wanting rid.

That’s why he’s played LW/LM for us last season to get him into those positions. I don’t think he’s vital to us creatively now with Sancho who is arguably better for what we need now but I think it’s impossible to argue any of those previously listed players are more creative than Pogba.

 

[RUCK4444]

Poor Paul Pogba.

Forgotten as an AM because we got much more effective player in Bruno.

Only world class midfielder at United, but can't get into midfield because of football legends like Fred and McTominay being more effective there.

A victim of his agent who forgot to tell him that he's going to tell the world about Paul being unhappy at United, which happened to be just before one of the most important games of the season. What were the odds? So unlucky.

This thread should change title to "101 excuses for every occasion".

Now wait until he loses his spot on the left wing to Sancho. Which will eventually happen because he isn't a winger. I wonder what then we're going to do with him, we're running out of options.

The world truly is against him.

Poor Paul Pogba.

PS read that in Ryan Reynolds trailer voice.

Oh dear, an attempt at humour in the absence of understanding.

The fact you think think the club played him off the left, for what 2/3 games, and that now makes it ‘his position’ tells the story.

He was shunted there because he needs cover in midfield, cover we don’t have in the form of a decent top level DM, something he needed (and got) at Juve and gets from France. Ironic then that is where we’ve seen the best of him consistently.

All this is backed up by the fact the club is desperate for him to renew. You believe that’s so he can rotate on LW?

Or, perhaps it’s because Ole is now acutely aware of what’s needed to get the most from Paul. But perhaps he should listen to Borys & Co from the caf, because I’m sure it will be news to him that Paul feckin Pogba is rubbish at football…
Laughable more like.

 

[JPRouve]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

 

[kiristao]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

Aren't most threads in the Transfer Forum?

 

[redshaw]

Well 119 pages in around a month is some achievement. Thought it was months old or re-titled from last year.

 

[TrustInOle]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

 

[marktan]

I'm happy if he stays another season, we desperately need attacking options and cover for Bruno. Put it this way, do we really want Lingard or Van De Beek being the backup options when we get an injury? Man City and Chelsea have enough attackers to fill half the sides in the league.

If he does end up leaving on a free it's no big deal to me either, we're probably losing about £25m of value after his final year given PSG were going to pay £40m with a year left. He's been one of the better players in a crap period for us.

 

[JPRouve]

Aren't most threads in the Transfer Forum?

Most of them aren't 119 pages long. I didn't really bother with it, so I was surprised to see that it was that long.

 

[SirAnderson]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

We have @MyOnlySolskjaer to thank for that.

 

[SirAnderson]

Then again, probably like 5 more Pogba threads were made since then.

 

[Borys]

The fact you think think the club played him off the left, for what 2/3 games, and that now makes it ‘his position’ tells the story.

I listed all the games he started on the wings with McFred starting in midfield here. He is second choice midfielder to Fred and Scott, that is not something "I think", this is the fact.

He was shunted there because he needs cover in midfield, cover we don’t have in the form of a decent top level DM, something he needed (and got) at Juve and gets from France. Ironic then that is where we’ve seen the best of him consistently.

Yeah OK, I agree. So what? You're only making more excuses for him. We are nowhere close to getting him a "decent top level" (whatever that means) Defensive Midfielder, neither we should build our team around a player that doesn't want to be here. By the way, you're just making points why he doesn't fit us.
He's best as attacking midfielder with a lot of cover behind, he's not getting into that position ahead of Bruno who is simply better and more effective attacking midfielder than Pogba ever was for United. Again, that's not an opinion.

All this is backed up by the fact the club is desperate for him to renew. You believe that’s so he can rotate on LW?

How do you know that? We oferred him a new deal, he didn't sign it. Are you some kind of ITK with more insight? Because I can say the club is desperate to sell him and get some money this summer rather than lose him on a free. I doubt either of us can prove it, so don't say it's "a fact".

Or, perhaps it’s because Ole is now acutely aware of what’s needed to get the most from Paul. But perhaps he should listen to Borys & Co from the caf, because I’m sure it will be news to him that Paul feckin Pogba is rubbish at football…
Laughable more like.

You will never see me posting something like that, because I believe Pogba is a decent midfielder (nothing spectacular), but mostly because I don't shit on our players like you constantly do. Every second post is pure contempt for our other midfield options, who although far less talented than Paul, are just more effective for our team and clearly more trusted against decent opposition than our supposedly best midfielder.

 

[Idxomer]

He still started 16 games and made 4 sub appearances, managing 1 goal and 1 assist. That's poor stats by any standards.

No, it's 16 appearances in total and 4 assists.

 

[Godfather]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

Yes. Contender for the most mindless thread ever created on here.

 

[RUCK4444]

I listed all the games he started on the wings with McFred starting in midfield here. He is second choice midfielder to Fred and Scott, that is not something "I think", this is the fact.


Yeah OK, I agree. So what? You're only making more excuses for him. We are nowhere close to getting him a "decent top level" (whatever that means) Defensive Midfielder, neither we should build our team around a player that doesn't want to be here. By the way, you're just making points why he doesn't fit us.
He's best as attacking midfielder with a lot of cover behind, he's not getting into that position ahead of Bruno who is simply better and more effective attacking midfielder than Pogba ever was for United. Again, that's not an opinion.


How do you know that? We oferred him a new deal, he didn't sign it. Are you some kind of ITK with more insight? Because I can say the club is desperate to sell him and get some money this summer rather than lose him on a free. I doubt either of us can prove it, so don't say it's "a fact".


You will never see me posting something like that, because I believe Pogba is a decent midfielder (nothing spectacular), but mostly because I don't shit on our players like you constantly do. Every second post is pure contempt for our other midfield options, who although far less talented than Paul, are just more effective for our team and clearly more trusted against decent opposition than our supposedly best midfielder.

I do have a certain contempt for our other midfield options, why? Because they neither do the job effectively enough for us to be progressive or win anything nor do either one of them provide a decent enough level of protecting the back four alongside Pogba. Which is what we’ve known the player needs since we bought him back - no excuses for us on that.

You act like it’s news to everybody that Pogba needs protection in midfield and by default that makes him a poor player.

He’s a world class player, stop pretending he isn’t, he was probably France’s best player (again) at the Euro’s, in a team literally dripping in quality in every position twice over.

Is he a good fit for us? No. But ask yourself Why, the answer is because we don’t have a single decent DM within the side.

It’s clearly hard for you to compare a player for one team and another and make an adult conclusion other than referring to him as ‘our supposedly best midfielder’ with an air of arrogance and a heavy dose of sarcasm that every other poster in this thread has.

Regarding whether the club want to keep him, well if we repeatedly offer a player contract renewals and rebuff any approach from other clubs for multiple years you should only come to one conclusion on that one. Thankfully the club are able to assess the players quality far more effectively than some here, shame we didn’t supplement him with what was required instead of buying an over-the-hill Matic.

I’ll leave it there because I’m bored of pointing out the obvious, not just to you but others.
Let’s put a pin in this until McFred are doing their thing and I’ll hit you up with a DM eh pal.

 

[Fortitude]

Is this thread essentially 119 pages of nothing?

Bingo!

 

[Joseunited]

I do have a certain contempt for our other midfield options, why? Because they neither do the job effectively enough for us to be progressive or win anything nor do either one of them provide a decent enough level of protecting the back four alongside Pogba. Which is what we’ve known the player needs since we bought him back - no excuses for us on that.

You act like it’s news to everybody that Pogba needs protection in midfield and by default that makes him a poor player.

He’s a world class player, stop pretending he isn’t, he was probably France’s best player (again) at the Euro’s, in a team literally dripping in quality in every position twice over.

Is he a good fit for us? No. But ask yourself Why, the answer is because we don’t have a single decent DM within the side.

It’s clearly hard for you to compare a player for one team and another and make an adult conclusion other than referring to him as ‘our supposedly best midfielder’ with an air of arrogance and a heavy dose of sarcasm that every other poster in this thread has.

Regarding whether the club want to keep him, well if we repeatedly offer a player contract renewals and rebuff any approach from other clubs for multiple years you should only come to one conclusion on that one. Thankfully the club are able to assess the players quality far more effectively than some here, shame we didn’t supplement him with what was required instead of buying an over-the-hill Matic.

I’ll leave it there because I’m bored of pointing out the obvious, not just to you but others.
Let’s put a pin in this until McFred are doing their thing and I’ll hit you up with a DM eh pal.

So much optimism going into the season and then i read this, what a shite midfield duo.

 

[MattofManchester]

Is he a good fit for us? No. But ask yourself Why, the answer is because we don’t have a single decent DM within the side.

It is deeply ironic that you claim to know the most about how badly Pogba has been misplayed but still at the same time assume that the reason is this fictional missing DM.

It is also deeply ironic that you first claim he's not a good fit for us, but then go on to say we need to mould our squad around him.

I'm going to guess you can assume Pogba and Bruno can play in the same team as well, yes?

No, they can't. And there is not a single DM in world football that can protect those two, let alone Pogba alone, so the DM argument is nonsense. Pogba always has two players behind him to perform at his best. He cannot have that here because he does not fit the makeup of the team, with Bruno ahead of him.

For Pogba to remain in the team, he'd have to work a lot harder defensively and develop more positional awareness, and under two managers, he has not bothered or wasn't able to do that, so the other idea that he can become more defensively sound needs to die as well.
Therefore, it is best to get rid and sign somebody who does.
Why is this so hard to understand???

 

[RUCK4444]

It is deeply ironic that you claim to know the most about how badly Pogba has been misplayed but still at the same time assume that the reason is this fictional missing DM.

It is also deeply ironic that you first claim he's not a good fit for us, but then go on to say we need to mould our squad around him.

I'm going to guess you can assume Pogba and Bruno can play in the same team as well, yes?

No, they can't. And there is not a single DM in world football that can protect those two, let alone Pogba alone, so the DM argument is nonsense. Pogba always has two players behind him to perform at his best. He cannot have that here because he does not fit the makeup of the team, with Bruno ahead of him.

For Pogba to remain in the team, he'd have to work a lot harder defensively and develop more positional awareness, and under two managers, he has not bothered or wasn't able to do that, so the other idea that he can become more defensively sound needs to die as well.
Therefore, it is best to get rid and sign somebody who does.
Why is this so hard to understand???

Oh ffs your back with the ‘you cannot play Pogba and Bruno’ fachts.

B@llox. That is all.

With the presence of a decent DM you absolutely can play Paul in a two behind Bruno against 90% of teams. Especially with an improved CB pairing allowing us to push up somewhat.

We saw Paul for about a month next to a fit and firing Matic and you could see what we would have had with Paul if we would have signed that top DM. Ironic then that DM needs improving regardless of Pogba’s inclusion going forward, but yes I’m sure that’s irrelevant.

Buying a top DM is not ‘building a team’ around Pogba. We’ve heard that a million times, it’s what we need anyway.

 

[RUCK4444]

So much optimism going into the season and then i read this, what a shite midfield duo.

Hey I’m optimistic. Just a realist on what we bring to the table in midfield when you remove Paul, not to mention by default placing every ounce of creative burden on Bruno.

You don’t build great teams by selling your best players because ‘ah never mind we got Bruno.’

It’s just not the correct attitude when looking to progress and build a top side.

 

[Borys]

I do have a certain contempt for our other midfield options, why? Because they neither do the job effectively enough for us to be progressive or win anything nor do either one of them provide a decent enough level of protecting the back four alongside Pogba. Which is what we’ve known the player needs since we bought him back - no excuses for us on that.

You act like it’s news to everybody that Pogba needs protection in midfield and by default that makes him a poor player.

He’s a world class player, stop pretending he isn’t, he was probably France’s best player (again) at the Euro’s, in a team literally dripping in quality in every position twice over.

Is he a good fit for us? No. But ask yourself Why, the answer is because we don’t have a single decent DM within the side.

It’s clearly hard for you to compare a player for one team and another and make an adult conclusion other than referring to him as ‘our supposedly best midfielder’ with an air of arrogance and a heavy dose of sarcasm that every other poster in this thread has.

Regarding whether the club want to keep him, well if we repeatedly offer a player contract renewals and rebuff any approach from other clubs for multiple years you should only come to one conclusion on that one. Thankfully the club are able to assess the players quality far more effectively than some here, shame we didn’t supplement him with what was required instead of buying an over-the-hill Matic.

I’ll leave it there because I’m bored of pointing out the obvious, not just to you but others.
Let’s put a pin in this until McFred are doing their thing and I’ll hit you up with a DM eh pal.

I keep repeating he's not a poor player, he is a footballer with specific skillset and weaknesses to his game which make it very difficult to accomodate him in midfield two.
I also believe he's exactly the same player for France as for United, the main different factor is the bolded part of your post - do you really expect us to dominate games like France do? By the way, have you seen France without Pogba? They are still very dominant.

Why do I say he's the same player for both United and France? Because their midfield gets overrun even with Kante alongside Pogba (see the game vs Switzerland, Pogba got a lot of praise for that game because apparently he is not there to defend). Single top class DM is not the answer (even if we could get one, which doesn't seem likely), you need to completely re-arrange the team setup to get the best out of Pogba. Which is not happening for a number of reasons.

I don't take it personally with him just as he doesn't take it personally with the club, it's just business. We will be a better team if we sell Pogba and use the money to get someone who really fits this United team. This has little to do with his ability, rather his weaknesses and context of our current setup.

Again I don't see where you got that insight we've rebuffed approach from other clubs, I maintain my opinion that he will leave this summer because that's the best solution for both sides.

 

[Jacob]

I keep repeating he's not a poor player, he is a footballer with specific skillset and weaknesses to his game which make it very difficult to accomodate him in midfield two.
I also believe he's exactly the same player for France as for United, the main different factor is the bolded part of your post - do you really expect us to dominate games like France do? By the way, have you seen France without Pogba? They are still very dominant.

Why do I say he's the same player for both United and France? Because their midfield gets overrun even with Kante alongside Pogba (see the game vs Switzerland, Pogba got a lot of praise for that game because apparently he is not there to defend). Single top class DM is not the answer (even if we could get one, which doesn't seem likely), you need to completely re-arrange the team setup to get the best out of Pogba. Which is not happening for a number of reasons.

I don't take it personally with him just as he doesn't take it personally with the club, it's just business. We will be a better team if we sell Pogba and use the money to get someone who really fits this United team. This has little to do with his ability, rather his weaknesses and context of our current setup.

Again I don't see where you got that insight we've rebuffed approach from other clubs, I maintain my opinion that he will leave this summer because that's the best solution for both sides.

Hear here... Its like taking a Ferrari off road. Good car but doesn't fit the bill.

He's still good even as a misfit, and I do think it can improve with a disciplined DM behind. There are a lot of quality players out there though.

 

[theklr]

I keep repeating he's not a poor player, he is a footballer with specific skillset and weaknesses to his game which make it very difficult to accomodate him in midfield two.
I also believe he's exactly the same player for France as for United, the main different factor is the bolded part of your post - do you really expect us to dominate games like France do? By the way, have you seen France without Pogba? They are still very dominant.

Why do I say he's the same player for both United and France? Because their midfield gets overrun even with Kante alongside Pogba (see the game vs Switzerland, Pogba got a lot of praise for that game because apparently he is not there to defend). Single top class DM is not the answer (even if we could get one, which doesn't seem likely), you need to completely re-arrange the team setup to get the best out of Pogba. Which is not happening for a number of reasons.

I don't take it personally with him just as he doesn't take it personally with the club, it's just business. We will be a better team if we sell Pogba and use the money to get someone who really fits this United team. This has little to do with his ability, rather his weaknesses and context of our current setup.

Again I don't see where you got that insight we've rebuffed approach from other clubs, I maintain my opinion that he will leave this summer because that's the best solution for both sides.

100% this

 

[Borys]

Hear here... Its like taking a Ferrari off road. Good car but doesn't fit the bill.

He's still good even as a misfit, and I do think it can improve with a disciplined DM behind. There are a lot of quality players out there though.

Not a lot of quality DMs available though. People need to consider this when they say "we just need a top quality DM".

It's easier to replace Pogba in midfield than to find him a perfect partner to cover his ass.

 

[RUCK4444]

I keep repeating he's not a poor player, he is a footballer with specific skillset and weaknesses to his game which make it very difficult to accomodate him in midfield two.
I also believe he's exactly the same player for France as for United, the main different factor is the bolded part of your post - do you really expect us to dominate games like France do? By the way, have you seen France without Pogba? They are still very dominant.

Why do I say he's the same player for both United and France? Because their midfield gets overrun even with Kante alongside Pogba (see the game vs Switzerland, Pogba got a lot of praise for that game because apparently he is not there to defend). Single top class DM is not the answer (even if we could get one, which doesn't seem likely), you need to completely re-arrange the team setup to get the best out of Pogba. Which is not happening for a number of reasons.

I don't take it personally with him just as he doesn't take it personally with the club, it's just business. We will be a better team if we sell Pogba and use the money to get someone who really fits this United team. This has little to do with his ability, rather his weaknesses and context of our current setup.

Again I don't see where you got that insight we've rebuffed approach from other clubs, I maintain my opinion that he will leave this summer because that's the best solution for both sides.

I maintain that in a very high percentage of games he can play in a two so long as his partner is specifically a DM who has legs and a good engine to sweep up. We don’t have that.

Particularly when you factor in our improved CB pairing. McFred exists in part to protect Lindelof, it’s one of the reasons that highlights the difficulty in pairing Pogba with any of the current midfield options, as we don’t have a DM capable of covering Lindelof and Pogba when the latter wants to implement his skill set going forwards.

One issue is corrected with Varane, allowing us to push up the pitch more, this is a vital step in our progression on the pitch with or without Pogba imo. But if fixes one issue for Pogba, partner him with a top DM (we need one anyway) and I believe that’s more than adequate to play against 90% of teams.

Also who do we sign that is more talented and capable than Pogba? Who?
There are next to zero players who have his skill set, he’s a unique mix. He can also cover for Bruno for rotation and injury, let’s face it if Bruno is injured we are in sh*t street creatively from midfield.

To me it’s harder to replace him than supplement him (and make the most of him)… and that’s me thinking of the team first and foremost, not Pogba. Again in my opinion I think the club are thinking along the same lines.