Should we consider selling Pogba?

[yardieUnited]

He was great yesterday. But the issue has never been his top level. It's been his average level and his bottom level.

At United, we don't see his top level anywhere near often enough. Meanwhile, his average level is what you'd expect from a midtable midfielder and his bottom level is barely PL standard.

The issue has always been Pogba's level of commitment for the Manchester United cause. He did it for a string of matches after Jose after he got sacked as a 'feck you' to the man who called him a virus; and he also did it yesterday during a big game on French soil against PSG. But what about when it isn't a glamour match?

Pogba's potential departure should be judged against how well he does in the bread-and-butter matches of the PL. If he can keep up this level of performance during a wet and windy Wednesday at Stoke® then I'd love to keep him at the club.

And the difference was the positioning after jose got sacked.
He wasn’t played as an deep lying playmaker/holding midfielder.
He was either played as a left cm in a diamond or in 4-4-3 and as cam in 4-2-3-1.
Yesterday he came in and played with a freedom and made runs into the box and was outside the box.

 

[Drainy]

Is the best for both us and Pogba that we sell him. PSG could help us with that

Swap Pogba and Martial for Mbappe

Buy Haaland.

Win FM for 8 years

 

[Sylar]

Hes defo a game changer coming off the bench. I remember somebody on this forum mentioned that could be his best position for us (like it was against Spurs). he comes on with a point to prove and determined, which we dont get when he starts. And he also comes on fresh against tiring legs.

It would be nice to be able to rotate him, VDB and Bruno to keep them all hungry / fresh. Its a good balance to try and find.

 

[MattofManchester]

He's not going to accept being on the bench, so we should sell and buy someone who can do what he and Fred or McTominay does. A more complete midfielder.

 

[Lee565]

He has to go at least by the end of the season because how can the club justify paying this guy even more than what he currently isn't even worth when it comes time to renew his contract and gives the rest of the team more negotiation leverage with their wage demands when we have a player like pogba earnings silly amounts for either putting in bang average to woeful performances or becoming more of fixture on the subs bench once too often, it's not too dissimilar to the situation we had with sanchez and his wages or ozil at arsenal.

 

[AneRu]

He's not going to accept being on the bench, so we should sell and buy someone who can do what he and Fred or McTominay does. A more complete midfielder.

This, imo Bruno coming in was the end of him because most formations with a No.10 demand that the two behind him be very good off the ball and that he isn't whilst he hasn't done much with the ball to justify sacrificing the workrate a Fred or a McT gives you. As long as Bruno remains undroppable we will always have issues fitting him in imo so its best we sell him and get a more rounded midfielder who can create/advance play and defend in equal measure - a more rounded version of Fred.

 

[edgecutter]

I ask myself whether I would be upset if he left and to be honest I wouldn't. He's a great player, but for the wages he would want and how he blows hot and cold he just doesn't seem worth the effort.

 

[Khalif_20]

He has to go at least by the end of the season because how can the club justify paying this guy even more than what he currently isn't even worth when it comes time to renew his contract and gives the rest of the team more negotiation leverage with their wage demands when we have a player like pogba earnings silly amounts for either putting in bang average to woeful performances or becoming more of fixture on the subs bench once too often, it's not too dissimilar to the situation we had with sanchez and his wages or ozil at arsenal.

Indeed, it's a similar situation to Özil's. Both clubs, United and Arsenal, illogically alienating their key playmakers and best players in the team.

Paul and Mesut are two of the three most creative midfielders in the Prem, yet they're benched in favor of primitive workhorses.

It's hardly surprising in Arsenal's case because they're circus of a club but it's baffling we're choosing to do the same mistake with Paul, a megastar who would walk into any team's starting XI easily.

Still, not too late. If Paul is willing, there's still a chance to integrate him tactically (which we've failed to do in 5th season now) and reap the benefits - major silverware.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

We are going to have to increase his wage if he is renewin his contract which he isn't worth. So we should still sell. I think any other opinion is recency bias or sentimentality

 

[Hammondo]

It is not really much of a question of "should we sell him", its more "who should be replace him with".

 

[MattofManchester]

This, imo Bruno coming in was the end of him because most formations with a No.10 demand that the two behind him be very good off the ball and that he isn't whilst he hasn't done much with the ball to justify sacrificing the workrate a Fred or a McT gives you. As long as Bruno remains undroppable we will always have issues fitting him in imo so its best we sell him and get a more rounded midfielder who can create/advance play and defend in equal measure - a more rounded version of Fred.

This is the thing that I think is problematic for most fans. It's not really Pogba himself. I don't think anyone is particularly bothered if we sell Pogba, but we have to replace that influence and add onto it, otherwise we aren't moving forward.

 

[Khalif_20]

He came on and gave a good performance, arguably being an influence in us winning the game, but that doesn’t make him “pure world class”. He was motivated for a change and was played in the attacking midfield role (where he is best deployed) and it was against a tiring PSG defence and defensive midfield. He did well in that short period and looked confident, but he’d have do that and a lot more, consistently, to even be considered a “good player”.

Surely you realize this is simply a wrong opinion?

Can you name 3 superior midfielders to Paul Pogba?

KDB yes at the moment - less talented, but performing better because the whole City system is built around him, Pep sets the team up to accentuate KDB's stregths and hide his weaknesses.

But the other two, can you name any?

 

[Alejandro Angel]

Indeed, it's a similar situation to Özil's. Both clubs, United and Arsenal, illogically alienating their key playmakers and best players in the team.

Paul and Mesut are two of the three most creative midfielders in the Prem, yet they're benched in favor of primitive workhorses.

It's hardly surprising in Arsenal's case because they're circus of a club but it's baffling we're choosing to do the same mistake with Paul, a megastar who would walk into any team's starting XI easily.

Still, not too late. If Paul is willing, there's still a chance to integrate him tactically (which we've failed to do in 5th season now) and reap the benefits - major silverware.

Never mind Ozil, I think that Paul Pogba is more capable than any other midfielder in the Premier league. Including De Brunye and Bruno but I think his attitude and workrate do not compare to the so called primitive players never mind the those two players.
He suits a slower league, and will look unstoppable in La Liga, I really think he could achieve that with Utd but you have to work hard and he strolls, he doesn't close players down and he slows the play down whenever it needs quickening. Ability wise he has everything but it is his attitude that is frustrating.
I just don't think he could have done a better job than Bruno a position he is supposed to covet and he is unwilling to do the work that Fred and McTominay did last night means that he is a luxury that cannot be afforded the start.
When he came on he did well, but not well enough for a new contract and certainly not for the team to be built around him.
He is just back from being out with Corona Virus and may need more time but he has not improved his positioning his game tempo since his move.

 

[Jippy]

Surely you realize this is simply a wrong opinion?

Can you name 3 superior midfielders to Paul Pogba?

KDB yes at the moment - less talented, but performing better because the whole City system is built around him, Pep sets the team up to accentuate KDB's stregths and hide his weaknesses.

But the other two, can you name any?

It's just an opinion, like yours. Try to be less condescending and more constructive.

 

[Hammondo]

Surely you realize this is simply a wrong opinion?

Can you name 3 superior midfielders to Paul Pogba?

KDB yes at the moment - less talented, but performing better because the whole City system is built around him, Pep sets the team up to accentuate KDB's stregths and hide his weaknesses.

But the other two, can you name any?

Well so far this season every midfield hes played against has bested him.

Same reason we started losing momentum at the end of last season, teams have adapted and hes pretty easy to deal with.

Now every time we play him, they press him, and if he drops back (which he always does because he cannot deal with any press) hes pretty toothless from deep, and they let him have the ball unless he tries to push further up.

Rinse and repeat, Crystal Palace midfielders all over him.

 

[sammsky1]

Surely you realize this is simply a wrong opinion?
Can you name 3 superior midfielders to Paul Pogba?
KDB yes at the moment - less talented, but performing better because the whole City system is built around him, Pep sets the team up to accentuate KDB's stregths and hide his weaknesses.
But the other two, can you name any?

Fernandez, Fred, McTominay, Van der Beek, Matic, Mata

 

[Borys]

Interesting case of Paul Pogba.

We played well without him, I'd say our midfield was slightly better than PSG.

He came in, and we played even better.

I don't think it changes anything, just pointing out this is exactly how he should be used. For the last 20-30mins with specific instructions, and far away from mid circle.

Fernandez, Fred, McTominay, Van der Beek, Matic, Mata

I think he meant in the league, but nice from you to narrow it down to the club

 

[Oo0AahCantona]

In a perfect world where he rises to the occasion for united I keep him, he's one of a kind. So far he's had one season where he looked the part so its right to discuss what's going on there. But i still think pogba can be a star here, people hate it but i love his flair and swagger he brings with him, id just rather he backs it up with performances and trophys.

However, in my fantasy world I sit him down with his agent he signs a 4 year deal where he gives us everything hes got for the next 2 years and if he wants to bounce after that we sell him.

 

[westmeath]

Surely you realize this is simply a wrong opinion?

Can you name 3 superior midfielders to Paul Pogba?

KDB yes at the moment - less talented, but performing better because the whole City system is built around him, Pep sets the team up to accentuate KDB's stregths and hide his weaknesses.

But the other two, can you name any?

Emmmm....what about every midfielder he has faced so far this season?

(And KDB is definitely not “less talented” than Pogba)

 

[ForeverRed1]

Depends how much we can get and who we can replace him with .. wouldn’t be the worst thing ever, he just doesn’t do it for us. If he Was pogba at his best week in week out then no chance would I want us to sell. Not for any midfielder.

 

[K_Ash]

Eventually you do need to create chances. Fred and McTominay are not breaking down the Burnleys and them. Bruno cannot just do it by himself all the time and Mata is 32 with no pace.
Under OGS, The only way Paul becomes expandable is with a Sancho coming. a Pep would go 4-3-3 with all of them Paul+Bruno+Sancho.

 

[sammsky1]

I think he meant in the league, but nice from you to narrow it down to the club

No need to look at the league when the answer can be found within the club!

 

[Jaxa]

The thing that worries me with selling Pogba is the money we get for him not being reinvested back into the team, does anyone trust these parasites to actually put it back into the team with recruitment ? I don't, I would be fuming if we sold him and never used the cash for new players, which i can definitely see happening and being told well we did replace him with vDB .

I would be happy if we could get 80-90m for him however and it was put towards important parts of the squad such as a RW or CDM.

 

[eire-red]

Let's take the argument of Pogba's talent out of the equation for the moment. I'm such a fan of Pogba when he's playing well, and the things he can do, but I've also been quite vocal in my desire for us to consider cashing in on him.

The problem is at that when Pogba plays, we tend to lose the midfield battle. When we lose the midfield, our defence isn't strong enough to soak up the pressure. I think releasing him in the final third is the only way to go.

The problem is, Rashford, Greenwood, Bruno etc. are currently much more efficient than him in scoring/creating goals. So where does he fit? In a funny turn of events, we're actually in a position where we don't necessarily rely on Pogba anymore, but his value in tight games, coming off the bench against tired legs, with that ability to do the unpredictable is huge.

The problem is, will Pogba accept that role? Will the club pay a player that amount of wages to do that? Should we cash in, and buy a more rounded midfielder to play in a two with one of McTominay or Fred? Ole has some big decisions to make.

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

I would like to try to see us keep him, as I think he's a great player on his day. I think the VDB signing was really covering the bases for what will likely happen next summer when/if Pogba leaves. Bed in VDB, have the ready made replacement, who came at a great price and make a ton on Pogba which will help us get Sancho.

 

[Shark]

Let's take the argument of Pogba's talent out of the equation for the moment. I'm such a fan of Pogba when he's playing well, and the things he can do, but I've also been quite vocal in my desire for us to consider cashing in on him.

The problem is at that when Pogba plays, we tend to lose the midfield battle. When we lose the midfield, our defence isn't strong enough to soak up the pressure. I think releasing him in the final third is the only way to go.

The problem is, Rashford, Greenwood, Bruno etc. are currently much more efficient than him in scoring/creating goals. So where does he fit? In a funny turn of events, we're actually in a position where we don't necessarily rely on Pogba anymore, but his value in tight games, coming off the bench against tired legs, with that ability to do the unpredictable is huge.

The problem is, will Pogba accept that role? Will the club pay a player that amount of wages to do that? Should we cash in, and buy a more rounded midfielder to play in a two with one of McTominay or Fred? Ole has some big decisions to make.

Not a chance in hell he'll accept that role. It's another Lukaku situation, far too big a player for the bench as much as we'd adore it.

 

[fps]

Let's take the argument of Pogba's talent out of the equation for the moment. I'm such a fan of Pogba when he's playing well, and the things he can do, but I've also been quite vocal in my desire for us to consider cashing in on him.

The problem is at that when Pogba plays, we tend to lose the midfield battle. When we lose the midfield, our defence isn't strong enough to soak up the pressure. I think releasing him in the final third is the only way to go.

The problem is, Rashford, Greenwood, Bruno etc. are currently much more efficient than him in scoring/creating goals. So where does he fit? In a funny turn of events, we're actually in a position where we don't necessarily rely on Pogba anymore, but his value in tight games, coming off the bench against tired legs, with that ability to do the unpredictable is huge.

The problem is, will Pogba accept that role? Will the club pay a player that amount of wages to do that? Should we cash in, and buy a more rounded midfielder to play in a two with one of McTominay or Fred? Ole has some big decisions to make.

This nails it for me Clive.

 

[sammsky1]

Not a chance in hell he'll accept that role. It's another Lukaku situation, far too big a player for the bench as much as we'd adore it.

This nails it for me Clive.

And to think Pogba and Raiola thought they had us over a barrel for a new contract
Im also not sure Madrid would want him. Very difficult for the DoF to convince a board when analysing his recent performances

 

[eire-red]

Not a chance in hell he'll accept that role. It's another Lukaku situation, far too big a player for the bench as much as we'd adore it.

The way I see it, either Pogba adapts his game to fit in the team somewhere else, and starts producing.

Or we simply maximise his ability to change deadlocked games late on, and accept that he's going to leave, but task him with making as big a contribution as possible until then.

As of right now, there's no way he's displacing Bruno in that squad. It will be tough to see him leave if he does, as there's not many midfielders in world football with the unique skillset he possesses. Unfortunately, talent doesn't win matches on it's own, we need more work ethic and craft from him.

 

[fps]

And to think Pogba and Raiola thought they had us over a barrel for a new contract
Im also not sure Madrid would want him. Very difficult for the DoF to convince a board when analysing his recent performances

I can't see the top top tier coming in for him. Inter? PSG?

 

[Bilbo]

Let's take the argument of Pogba's talent out of the equation for the moment. I'm such a fan of Pogba when he's playing well, and the things he can do, but I've also been quite vocal in my desire for us to consider cashing in on him.

The problem is at that when Pogba plays, we tend to lose the midfield battle. When we lose the midfield, our defence isn't strong enough to soak up the pressure. I think releasing him in the final third is the only way to go.

The problem is, Rashford, Greenwood, Bruno etc. are currently much more efficient than him in scoring/creating goals. So where does he fit? In a funny turn of events, we're actually in a position where we don't necessarily rely on Pogba anymore, but his value in tight games, coming off the bench against tired legs, with that ability to do the unpredictable is huge.

The problem is, will Pogba accept that role? Will the club pay a player that amount of wages to do that? Should we cash in, and buy a more rounded midfielder to play in a two with one of McTominay or Fred? Ole has some big decisions to make.

Yes, good post. I thought when the 'official' announcement came out a week or so ago that we are activating the extra year on his deal (surprise!) that it was an indication that talks on a new one have broken down.

Time will tell, but I think hes off in the summer regardless of what us fans want to happen.

 

[Bilbo]

I can't see the top top tier coming in for him. Inter? PSG?

He'll have no trouble finding suitors. Still a valuable commodity. I suspect he'll go back to Juventus if they can find the cash, but ideally he goes to Madrid to take them off of the Camavinga table.

 

[Shark]

The way I see it, either Pogba adapts his game to fit in the team somewhere else, and starts producing.

Or we simply maximise his ability to change deadlocked games late on, and accept that he's going to leave, but task him with making as big a contribution as possible until then.

As of right now, there's no way he's displacing Bruno in that squad. It will be tough to see him leave if he does, as there's not many midfielders in world football with the unique skillset he possesses. Unfortunately, talent doesn't win matches on it's own, we need more work ethic and craft from him.

Exacly. That unique skillset is rarely put to use at United. Consistently gets shown up and run through by "lesser" midfielders and imo slows down our play. He had a unique skillet at Juve which is why we payed 80m for him, seemed to have a bit of everything to him. However even after his first few games for us under Jose I can remember posters on here questioning if he's really all that and it's carried on since. Maybe he's just a good player that's totally replaceable.

 

[The_Midfielder]

We will see the best of him if we are able play him with the formation we played yesterday 2nd half--

Rash/Martial/Cavani/Greenwood
Pogba Bruno
Fred----McT--Matic
Telles/Shaw---Maguire--CB---AWB

 

[Cantonagotmehere]

I ask myself whether I would be upset if he left and to be honest I wouldn't. He's a great player, but for the wages he would want and how he blows hot and cold he just doesn't seem worth the effort.

And he just does not give consistent effort. The Spurs game is just one example. He is a super talented player, but I would take what we can get for him sooner that later because he just does not seem to want to give us the effort. Which is stunning considering what he gets paid. It sucks feeling this way about him, I was so excited when he came back.

 

[OleBoiii]

It all depends on the following:

1. What does he want? If he wants to leave, then let him.
2. Is he prepared to start many(most?) games on the bench? If not: sell.

If Pogba is prepared to fight for his spot and genuinely wants to stay, then he should be allowed to stay. The problem is that I don't see this happening. And evidently we're not as rich as we think, so it seems like we may have no choice but to sell everyone who's not starting and is older than 24, provided we get a decent price.

 

[sammsky1]

He'll have no trouble finding suitors. Still a valuable commodity. I suspect he'll go back to Juventus if they can find the cash, but ideally he goes to Madrid to take them off of the Camavinga table.

I think this a myth.

no-one has ever come in for him despite him putting it out like a street hooker.

 

[Bilbo]

I think this a myth.

no-one has ever come in for him despite him putting it out like a street hooker.

Lots of clubs would love to have Pogba. The question is how much they are willing to pay

 

[fps]

We will see the best of him if we are able play him with the formation we played yesterday 2nd half--

Rash/Martial/Cavani/Greenwood
Pogba Bruno
Fred----McT--Matic
Telles/Shaw---Maguire--CB---AWB

The two up front seemed to work rather well, given how mobile Rashford and Martial are....

 

[Hammondo]

Lots of clubs would love to have Pogba. The question is how much they are willing to pay

Then why no offers?