Pogba had his chance
Paul Pogba and Mino Raiola seem to be doing their level best to antagonise Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United, and their entire worldwide fanbase in recent weeks.
The drip drip drip of unhappy noises coming out of Pogba’s camp is close to becoming untenable – as are the inevitable and tedious suggestions that ‘you shouldn’t believe everything you read’ following first-hand quotes from both player and agent.
If they’re looking to move the player on, fair enough. But they seem to be going about it in a needlessly problematic way. There’s a strange desire to create as much bad blood as possible to force a transfer.
It seems that one of the most inane transfer sagas in recent football history could perhaps be coming to an end https://t.co/ooH3SeJOil
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) December 7, 2020
Following Raiola’s incendiary comments at the beginning of this week that the Frenchman’s time at Old Trafford is essentially “over”, reports have emerged that Pogba is unhappy with where Solskjaer plays him in the team. Almost laughably, his annoyance is that he is not played in the position currently occupied by Manchester United’s best signing in years – Bruno Fernandes.
According to the ever reliable James Ducker at the Telegraph, Pogba is dismayed that he is unable to “express” himself in his preferred role of offensive playmaker – where Fernandes has clearly excelled. Never mind the fact that the Frenchman has been given repeated opportunities to impress in pretty much every midfield role since he rejoined the club in 2016.
Indeed, many United fans would argue their new Portuguese hero has contributed more in a matter of months than Pogba has in years.
Ducker reports:
‘[Paul] Pogba, 27, would prefer the sort of playmaking role that January signing Bruno Fernandes has made his own, even though the Frenchman has seldom exerted the sort of influence on the team that the Portugal midfielder has and has been used mainly as a substitute in recent weeks.’
A reminder that, in the Premier League alone, Fernandes has contributed an astonishing 15 goals and 11 assists in only 24 games since joining the club. On Saturday, the Portuguese marvel turned the game on its head when he came on at half-time, creating eight chances in 45 minutes – more than any player has created in any Premier League game this season.
