Manchester United is in the midst of a massive summer transfer window, as their stability has been thrown off. Their Champions League elimination in December came as a shock, as they had been in command of the group after the first two matchdays. They even blew away the league, which they had a good chance of winning. Mino Raiola gave an interview about Paul Pogba's future before the match against RB Leipzig, which irritated some at Old Trafford. Now we all know Paul Pogba hasn’t had the same influence that he had at Juventus, since joining the Mancs. After that, the Frenchman was dropped from the starting lineup, but he may have been scheduled to play before the remarks were made. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows he can't blame the loss entirely on this incident, but it didn't help matters.
Raiola has made no secret of the midfielder's intention to leave the club, but the club has yet to come up with a solution. Many thought Pogba's time was up after the arrival of Bruno and Donny, but he even improved his game during the pandemic, allowing him to return regularly. Despite making over 200 starts for the club in the last five years, he is still unable to maintain his world-beater mentality for an extended period. His talent is undeniable, but the coaching staff seems to be preparing for a possibility without him.
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Pogba has been dipping since the end of the 2018/19 season. He was undoubtedly the best player during that campaign, and his outstanding performance helped Solskjaer secure the job permanently. He scored 13 goals and added nine assists, establishing himself as one of the top players in the final third of the field.
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In the 19/20 season, he hit rock-bottom scoring a goal and getting 3 assists in 1205 minutes of the PL. Even after the lockdowns and curfews were over, he didn’t improve much. He was hailed as the player who would restore glory to the club after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement at the time of his re-signing. Instead, he has been repeatedly chastised by the media and has become a convenient excuse.
Pogba in 2018/19 had really good numbers. He averaged 3.14 shots and 1.64 key passes per ninety minutes. Further to this, he averaged 0.47 xG and 0.15 xA per ninety minutes. This shows what a motivated Paul Pogba can deliver in the Premier League. With Bruno coming in, he has been given a much deeper role to take care of.
This season saw him getting 1.2 shots and 1 key pass every 90 minutes. He averaged 0.14 xG and 0.10 xA per 90 mins. This season has certainly been an underwhelming one, to say the least. Through all this, he seems to be lacking in drive. There are brief moments where he demonstrates his ability as a player. Following the lockdown last season, he made a cameo appearance against Tottenham, in which he changed the game. His excellent skill earned the penalty that resulted in the equalizing goal. Those times, however, tend to be small.
Raiola's remarks haven't been helpful this week, but the argument about Pogba's future is getting a bit old. Both Manchester United and Pogba understand that they must part ways sometime shortly. The midfielder is no longer inspired to produce match-winning results, and the Old Trafford drama makes it unlikely that he'll ever be.
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