Should we consider selling Pogba?

James Peril

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Wonder if Chelsea would consider a Kante/Pogba swap deal, Pogba would fit in well down the King's Road with his look at me with feck all to back it up!
Except for the World Cup-medal he’s got lying around somewhere... but you know, some daft poster on the internet told us otherwise. Kante is hardly in the form of his life to be brought into a discussion like this. I love Kante by the way, great player. Pogba too, just lacks motivation playing for a poor team/manager failing to match his ambitions... which is entirely something he needs to address himself if he wants to have fun at Old Trafford and make us better.
 

Foxbatt

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There are players who are brilliant but do not suit a certain team or style. Pogba does not suit us the way we play. If Ole changes to a diamond and play Pogba on the left with Bruno up on the top and someone like Fred along with Matic in midfield he will perform.
 

Buster15

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There are players who are brilliant but do not suit a certain team or style. Pogba does not suit us the way we play. If Ole changes to a diamond and play Pogba on the left with Bruno up on the top and someone like Fred along with Matic in midfield he will perform.
Bingo. Been saying pretty much the same. Yes we have some talented players in midfield. But the simple fact is that our midfield is not functioning. Not creating anything like enough opportunities and not protecting our defence. Surely Ole can see that.
 

Pav1878

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Would definitely consider selling if a good offer came through.

I like him, he's talented, capable of some brilliant stuff, and seems a good guy, but we just don't seem to be getting the best out of him, or he doesn't seem to be at his best consistently for us.

We don't have the luxury of being an excellent team yet to be able to carry pogba for large swathes of the season.

Another thing that bothers me about him is he doesnt seem to turn up in big games. Not saying he hasn't in the past. It not for a while. City away when we came back from 2 down was a great performance but can't think of any other times.

We need someone we can rely on week in week out and we simply can't. It's a shame but we may be better off moving him on and getting someone else in or reinvesting the money in other areas.
 

RashyForPM

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That’s a million dollar question. There are so many variables involved in making a decision to sell a player. For example, if PSG offered us £300m and Mbappe for Greenwood, I’d happily take it. No one is priceless, even a generational talent like Greenwood. With Pogba, he hasn’t fit into any system we’ve played for a prolonged period of time, so he certainly isn’t either. To sell him though, I’d say a club has to offer us £100m, because he came for £90m and has neither progressed nor regressed since 2016, and the transfer market has experienced mass hyperinflation since.

Of course, it goes without saying that a replacement has to be signed before selling Pogba too, meaning it won’t happen this year. Do I actively want it to? No, as despite his shortcomings and poor form, he has quality and is far down the list of big problems at our club.
 

Stretender

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I think the issue with Pogba is that he is overated.

He is not the kind of player that people think he is.

I always thought bringing him back to United was a huge mistake. One of those Ed Woodward vanity projects. Fergie didn't trust him in midfield and that guy knew alot about footballers. We should have heeded his thinking.

I don't see how he can perform better than what he has shown for United since he re joined us.

For his own sake he needs to move to a Real Madrid or something and rediscover himself again. This United version of Pogba will continue to frustrate. I personally think Pogba is not a premier league player. He reacts slowly to events around him, that is his main problem.

Better sell him now while he has some value. I think Danny Murphy was right. The signing of Van De Beek gives way for Pogba to leave the club.

Steve McClaren and Bryan Robson both named their strongest current Manchester United eleven and Pogba was on the bench.
 

MattofManchester

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I can't honestly make any more excuses for him. It's time for him to go.

If Tielemans keeps his form till the season's end or Houssem Aouar would be a better choice. We need someone with more composure and control in their game.
 

westmeath

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While it’s a nice idea to sell Pogba it’s not going to be possible.

No decent manager at a top club would buy him.

His wage demands are ridiculous

Woody will want too much for him.

We should bench him though, he’s never going to deliver for us.
 

Hammondo

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That’s a million dollar question. There are so many variables involved in making a decision to sell a player. For example, if PSG offered us £300m and Mbappe for Greenwood, I’d happily take it. No one is priceless, even a generational talent like Greenwood. With Pogba, he hasn’t fit into any system we’ve played for a prolonged period of time, so he certainly isn’t either. To sell him though, I’d say a club has to offer us £100m, because he came for £90m and has neither progressed nor regressed since 2016, and the transfer market has experienced mass hyperinflation since.

Of course, it goes without saying that a replacement has to be signed before selling Pogba too, meaning it won’t happen this year. Do I actively want it to? No, as despite his shortcomings and poor form, he has quality and is far down the list of big problems at our club.
We paid that amount because it was assumed he would improve. So he's devalued.
 

Champagne Football

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Some people who get Covid complain of fatigue afterwards once they shake it off. I hope that doesn't happen with Pogba.

There's no doubt he will put some world class performances in again soon, but he's never been able to remain consistent with form. Van De Beek should already be in the team ahead of him, but hopefully Ole can get the best out of him.
 

RashyForPM

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We paid that amount because it was assumed he would improve. So he's devalued.
That completely ignores the prudence accounting principle. You buy a player like Pogba for a world record fee for the here and now. We’re overestimating an asset (Pogba) if we pay that price for him only because of “assumed” improvements. Also, I repeat, inflation.
 

Hammondo

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That completely ignores the prudence accounting principle. You buy a player like Pogba for a world record fee for the here and now. We’re overestimating an asset (Pogba) if we pay that price for him only because of “assumed” improvements. Also, I repeat, inflation.
No way did anyone think he was that good when we bought him. Of course he was bought for potential.
 

RashyForPM

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No way did anyone think he was that good when we bought him. Of course he was bought for potential.
Read his transfer thread mate. Of course he was bought for a few seasons but he was meant to transform our midfield into a title-winning one straightaway. He was already widely thought of as world class, especially after his class Euro 2016 tournament. The way people spoke of him, you’d think prime Maradona was coming :lol:
 

Hammondo

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Read his transfer thread mate. Of course he was bought for a few seasons but he was meant to transform our midfield into a title-winning one straightaway. He was already widely thought of as world class, especially after his class Euro 2016 tournament. The way people spoke of him, you’d think prime Maradona was coming :lol:
He was widely thought of as world class at all, never had been.
 

Cantonagotmehere

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Would definitely consider selling if a good offer came through.

I like him, he's talented, capable of some brilliant stuff, and seems a good guy, but we just don't seem to be getting the best out of him, or he doesn't seem to be at his best consistently for us.

We don't have the luxury of being an excellent team yet to be able to carry pogba for large swathes of the season.

Another thing that bothers me about him is he doesnt seem to turn up in big games. Not saying he hasn't in the past. It not for a while. City away when we came back from 2 down was a great performance but can't think of any other times.

We need someone we can rely on week in week out and we simply can't. It's a shame but we may be better off moving him on and getting someone else in or reinvesting the money in other areas.
Great post. I am a fan and want it to work out for him here, but we can't get anything consistent out of Pogba. Maybe it's Ole, positioning etc...but it's weird.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Anyho...

Guessing you wouldn't swap Kante, a type were are crying out for, for Pogba, a type we don't need, more so now that we've got Fernandes, then?
Short answer, no.

This club is crying out for a number of things but if we focus purely on the first 11 a more suitable replacement for the Pogba role ranks somewhere in the middle.

Kante has himself shown some decline & I think it’s naive to think ‘swap out Player A for Player B & voila’.

Give me Kante to play alongside Pogba & we’re talking but we’ve gone back & forth in a few threads re: Pogba so it’s pointless; I enjoy your contributions in other areas too much to get bogged down in it.

If most managers were given players the quality of Pogba & Fernandes they’d look to find a system that doesn’t often isolate Bruno in the 10 & ask Pogba to fulfill a role he’s never been asked to for France nor Juventus. We should be a DM away from an absolutely dominant midfield imo but I digress; for me selling Pogba isn’t in the Top 5 when it comes to changes I’d make in our first 11 personnel.
 

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It's way down the list of things we need to consider. Solving our issue of the right side of our team should be first and foremost, along with finding a dominant CB that actually has pace.

My main issue with Pogba is the fact that he lacks the defensive reading of a Matic or similar DM, but isn't buzzing around like a Kante/Fred type either. So what you end up getting is someone who drifts around the midfield, especially off the ball, and has to be covered for in transition when a team is trying to hit us on the break. It's not that Pogba is "lazy", as it's clear he works as hard as any other player, but he isn't gifted with immense stamina. These types of players can still be valuable, but it's much more difficult to build around them as you need a proper partner that can provide the movement needed on either side of him in the midfield. The problem I think most have is that the club isn't in a position to be strictly focusing on building around him, as there are other spots that are much more pressing that I mentioned above, and therefore Paul is always looking like a square peg in a round hole and constantly has fans fighting over where his best position is.

I'm not sure what the answer is, because I think Pogba is unfairly blasted on here from people who had an idea of a player that wasn't actually who he was. Ideally, we buy a true class DM that offers the Matic qualities in defense but with more mobility. This will provide a better base for Pogba to thrive off of, as the increased mobility next to him will snuff out more attacks and help us keep the ball, which is where Pogba is at his best. But if this isn't seen to, then I think he will always be a player that polarizes opinion.
 

Foxbatt

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Because of Pogba the team struggles a lot. So it is better than we play in a way that he does not struggle and hence the team does not struggle. That is to play a 4 man midfield with Fred or DVB( I really do not know if he would work) and play Martial and Greenwood or Rashford up front. People will say that our FB cannot over lap. What does that mean? They do not have to over lap that much if they can deliver the pass behind the opposing defence early on. This fetish of trying to be wingers is what is causing all these issues.
Yes we have to play our tempo much higher but this very possible to do so.
 

USREDEVIL

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Big Pogba fan. But every dog has his day. Some players might retire with the club. Jones will for all the wrong reasons, but the reality is that almost everyone is sold at some point or worse released for free. I think we should keep Pogba for 2 or 3 years if we can, but then look to move him on. We need a plan to sell every single damn player so we're not at a disadvantage when we reneg contracts.
 

Class of 63

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Except for the World Cup-medal he’s got lying around somewhere... but you know, some daft poster on the internet told us otherwise. Kante is hardly in the form of his life to be brought into a discussion like this. I love Kante by the way, great player. Pogba too, just lacks motivation playing for a poor team/manager failing to match his ambitions... which is entirely something he needs to address himself if he wants to have fun at Old Trafford and make us better.
I spent a lot of time on the Kings Road when I lived in Chelsea several times many Moons ago, my comment was more having a go at some of those superior beings who felt they were God's gift to life I met there, than aiming a dig at Pogba. Honest Guv!

Playing for Manchester United and earning a Kings Ransom should be all the motivation he needs.
 

Class of 63

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Short answer, no.

This club is crying out for a number of things but if we focus purely on the first 11 a more suitable replacement for the Pogba role ranks somewhere in the middle.

Kante has himself shown some decline & I think it’s naive to think ‘swap out Player A for Player B & voila’.

Give me Kante to play alongside Pogba & we’re talking but we’ve gone back & forth in a few threads re: Pogba so it’s pointless; I enjoy your contributions in other areas too much to get bogged down in it.

If most managers were given players the quality of Pogba & Fernandes they’d look to find a system that doesn’t often isolate Bruno in the 10 & ask Pogba to fulfill a role he’s never been asked to for France nor Juventus. We should be a DM away from an absolutely dominant midfield imo but I digress; for me selling Pogba isn’t in the Top 5 when it comes to changes I’d make in our first 11 personnel.
I was bored mate, I think most of agree it's time he moved on, as much for himself as anything, and there's very few clubs that could afford what we'd want for him so a swap or partial exchange is a possibility, so I started going through Premier League players, i've already offered Jordan Henderson before Kante, God knows who i'll go for next ....

Coaching can only do so much, Fernandes and Pogba will have to work it out on the pitch alongside the third midfielder, if they can't one will be moved on, and it won't be Fernandes unless Real Madrid, Barca or PSG offer stupid money for him.
 

ghaliboy

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Wonga, or lack of it for starters.

I'd love to see Kante, if he can get his mojo back, behind Fernandes and van de Beek though.
Fair enough. I'll take Kante. Or scout whoever is at the same level or better at DM and sign them instead. With or without Pogba.
 

Denis' cuff

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It's the truth though, of course it doesn't excuse all his bad performances during his spell here. The problem witj caftards like you, there is no middle ground when discussing, it's all-in.
Watch that clip of his first season with all his good passing creating big chances all missed.
i know about his ability, mate and absolutely love watching him on song but he just pisses me, and it seems the majority of the support off, with his lack of commitment both on the pitch and off it with the noises he and his brother and agent have frequently made, obviously, with his blessing. So yep, I’ve gone beyond middle ground after four years of disappointment - and ten minutes of inspired input from him in a game does not make up for the other 80 minutes of disconnect whilst he strolls around without purpose. People making excuses for him the other day... never mind match fitness, my fecking mother could’ve achieved a better pass rate than his pathetic attempts to make the simplest of passes. We all know how good he could be and that is what rankles. I’ve actually watched games where he has gone a whole 45 minutes barely touching the ball yet people still say he played well. They point to his trophy haul with France and Juve, totally overlocking that they would’ve comforta achieved the same without him, just. as we have at key parts of the season. Never mind PSG 2nd leg, our best run of form was without him in the side last season. People call him “world class”; he is nowhere near. World class players shine consistently, nearly every game and don’t need excuses constantly trotted out when they occasionally (not constantly) fall below par

he upsets people too ;)
 

Class of 63

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Fair enough. I'll take Kante. Or scout whoever is at the same level or better at DM and sign them instead. With or without Pogba.
It's a funny position, it may be a better idea to develop somebody already at the club who knows the strengths/weaknesses of Pogba, Fernandes and vd Beek so instinctively knows when to cover/under cover behind them, as apposed to somebody new coming in learning on the go in match situations.

Not sure who that player is, but would love to see Timbo tried there before we discard him. Garner long-term maybe.
 

kouroux

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i know about his ability, mate and absolutely love watching him on song but he just pisses me, and it seems the majority of the support off, with his lack of commitment both on the pitch and off it with the noises he and his brother and agent have frequently made, obviously, with his blessing. So yep, I’ve gone beyond middle ground after four years of disappointment - and ten minutes of inspired input from him in a game does not make up for the other 80 minutes of disconnect whilst he strolls around without purpose. People making excuses for him the other day... never mind match fitness, my fecking mother could’ve achieved a better pass rate than his pathetic attempts to make the simplest of passes. We all know how good he could be and that is what rankles. I’ve actually watched games where he has gone a whole 45 minutes barely touching the ball yet people still say he played well. They point to his trophy haul with France and Juve, totally overlocking that they would’ve comforta achieved the same without him, just. as we have at key parts of the season. Never mind PSG 2nd leg, our best run of form was without him in the side last season. People call him “world class”; he is nowhere near. World class players shine consistently, nearly every game and don’t need excuses constantly trotted out when they occasionally (not constantly) fall below par

he upsets people too ;)
I get it and this is a much more sensible post IMHO.
I try to be fair, he's been upsetting me for a long time and I've always that I wouldn't him being sold if the transfer was high enough. Having said that, I also try to be as fair as possible when judging his good and bad games. I don't listen to people, I've never trusted how the caf masses rates players and performances.
There are many games where he could have done a little better, never mind carrying the team (I've always said that he was never that type of player) and I understand the frustration he generates in fans. We see so many great tools for a footballer to use and the reality being so different.
 

Denis' cuff

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I get it and this is a much more sensible post IMHO.
I try to be fair, he's been upsetting me for a long time and I've always that I wouldn't him being sold if the transfer was high enough. Having said that, I also try to be as fair as possible when judging his good and bad games. I don't listen to people, I've never trusted how the caf masses rates players and performances.
There are many games where he could have done a little better, never mind carrying the team (I've always said that he was never that type of player) and I understand the frustration he generates in fans. We see so many great tools for a footballer to use and the reality being so different.
I was just a bit embarrassed about being upset. I’m not really upset, but when I go on a rant I realise that I really am. But then real life kicks in and I don’t think about it. Then match day: I watch him playing for the team I’ve supported since the early 60s, and see he doesn’t care and I get upset again. I can’t help it.

I care.
 

Clermontois

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Wonga, or lack of it for starters.

I'd love to see Kante, if he can get his mojo back, behind Fernandes and van de Beek though.
NG is unlikely to ever play behind them two for good reason, but a dreamer should dream.
 

kouroux

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I was just a bit embarrassed about being upset. I’m not really upset, but when I go on a rant I realise that I really am. But then real life kicks in and I don’t think about it. Then match day: I watch him playing for the team I’ve supported since the early 60s, and see he doesn’t care and I get upset again. I can’t help it.

I care.
I'm past that tbh, I don't have the energy to get annoyed. I just hope for good football
 

Denis' cuff

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I'm past that tbh, I don't have the energy to get annoyed. I just hope for good football
oh, I have heaps of energy to get annoyed - I just feel a bit silly for getting annoyed.

I know it isn’t really important. United are probably just a lifetime addiction I can’t break. Maybe they are simply a release valve.

Had far more good times than bad. Just lots of neg at the moment. Glazers, EW, VAR/shit refs, cheating cnuts, faux fans, Pogba:), Jamie Redknapp, Dippers resurgence, COVID, money/Blatter/ABU Dhabi owners getting away with shit.

Enjoy work more. I blame Fergie for conditioning me. I’ll be alright though.
 

ghaliboy

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It's a funny position, it may be a better idea to develop somebody already at the club who knows the strengths/weaknesses of Pogba, Fernandes and vd Beek so instinctively knows when to cover/under cover behind them, as apposed to somebody new coming in learning on the go in match situations.

Not sure who that player is, but would love to see Timbo tried there before we discard him. Garner long-term maybe.
I don't think we have anyone good enough in the team/squad. We have to find a DM who can cover two positions and throw in also cover the diabolical level that Pogba is at with his defensive positioning when he switches off and doesn't drop at random points throughout a game. I don't mind Pogba at 8, I've said many times I find it pointless in this current system and a waste of time. But we're on a hiding to nothing with him there in general and we're in for another season of the same shit happening over and over if we don't find an absolute world class unique DM to cover two positions. Either that or just shove Pogba somewhere up front behind a front striker and let the team do the donkey work behind him. Bruno has shown far more synergy, ability and effort in that position so I doubt that will be happening until he misses time for any reason (touch wood he doesn't).
 

Murray3007

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problem is now, no one would go near him, the fee, the wages, only way we are getting rid of him now is a swap deal with someone, and we no he will eventually sign a new deal on crazy money and will regret it till the day he leaves
 

RooneyLegend

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That’s a million dollar question. There are so many variables involved in making a decision to sell a player. For example, if PSG offered us £300m and Mbappe for Greenwood, I’d happily take it. No one is priceless, even a generational talent like Greenwood. With Pogba, he hasn’t fit into any system we’ve played for a prolonged period of time, so he certainly isn’t either. To sell him though, I’d say a club has to offer us £100m, because he came for £90m and has neither progressed nor regressed since 2016, and the transfer market has experienced mass hyperinflation since.

Of course, it goes without saying that a replacement has to be signed before selling Pogba too, meaning it won’t happen this year. Do I actively want it to? No, as despite his shortcomings and poor form, he has quality and is far down the list of big problems at our club.
Who has fit into anything here in the post Sir Alex era? The only consistent performer we've had in that period for some time was DDG and now since he's regressed not a single soul has been consistent. Name them, they've all let us down. We have to ask ourselves why that's the case.
 
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RashyForPM

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Who has fit into anything here in the post Sir Alex era? The only consistent performer we've had in that period for some time was DDG and now since he's regressed not a single sold has been consistent. Name them, they've all let us down. We have to ask ourselves why that's the case.
Well I can give you Zlatan as a target man who scored 27 goals for Mourinho in 2016-17, but that’s it. Maybe that vindicates Pogba even more and is why he shouldn’t be sold, as he is far from the only one who hasn’t fit in. As Neville said, poor recruitment is our biggest non-boardroom problem. We don’t buy players for a particular tactic or reason, we buy them at Woodward and the manager’s whims and fancies before that twat and Judge loses faith in the manager and stops supporting him. It’s ridiculous.