At times last season, and over the summer, Paul Pogba was dismissed as a ‘highlights player’.
It seems a ridiculous thing to say about someone who would go on to become the most expensive player in world football, but there were plenty of people prepared to bring up his long-range strikes, crossfield passing and ridiculous close control as one-offs every time he pulled them off. It didn’t matter that it made no sense.
Since Pogba moved from Juventus to Manchester United, naysayers have been able to see he has a lot more to his game, especially when afforded a more free role within the United midfield.
But for some, all that has done is turn the tables. Now the criticism is that he’s lacking in the showreel moments and an £89m man shouldn’t just be the best player in a three-man midfield – he should be able to produce the spectacular too.
Well, not to worry. Pogba found himself back in a France shirt for the international break, taking his place alongside Euro 2016 partner-in-crime Blaise Matuidi in the centre of midfield, and spanking one home from 30 yards, as you do.
https://twitter.com/PogbaHQ/status/785561133952425985
Some will say goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg should have done better, and that you can’t come up against goalkeepers like that every week in the Premier League (just twice a season against Everton).
But the way Pogba reacted to his strike flying past the goalkeeper gave the air of a young man saying ‘sure, I guess it was good, but you’ll probably want me to do this every week now’.
And to be fair to the Dutchman, when you see the strike from another angle it’s clear that the ball moved *a lot* in the air.
📹 | Paul Pogba's long-range goal against Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/MIRcnA2Nuf
— Man Utd Stuff (@ManUtdStuff) October 10, 2016
The responses to the goal were mixed
https://twitter.com/FutbolsaCountry/status/785559976450396161
https://twitter.com/JongsmaJongsma/status/785559901808361472
But in the end, surely it just comes down to one thing.
https://twitter.com/andi_thomas/status/785559992455815168
Catch up with the latest episode of Football Friday Live:
