When Manchester United brought in Paul Pogba from Juventus, Old Trafford erupted in joy. They didn’t care about the money splashed on him, which, till date, remains the highest paid by an English club. The fans were optimistic that he would take this club to new heights and establish himself as one of the best footballers to have ever played for the Red Devils. But a string of injuries led to his downfall and became a ‘forgotten’ star.
After recovering from an ankle injury (The injury made famous by Pogba), he suffered another ankle injury (Surprise!!) different to the one that initially ruled him out for a large part of the season. The Manchester United midfielder made a comeback with two substitute appearances against Newcastle and Watford, but complained of ankle soreness and hasn’t played since.
Reports suggest that his recovery is stepping up, with the Frenchman doing sprints and ball work with ease. This coronavirus break is, undoubtedly, a blessing in disguise for the Frenchman which has provided him ample time to regain fitness, which will enable him to set foot on the football pitch with vigour and self-assurance. United legend Michael Carrick has been leading the individual sessions designed to get Pogba back to his best. He has been undergoing special sessions to increase his speed, under the supervision of Carrick. United currently occupy the 5th spot in Premier League standings with 45 points and the latest soccer bet odds of them making the top 4 stand at 13/8 (if you are interested in soccer betting).
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that Paul Pogba can make a decisive impact on Manchester United’s season with his old midfield influence once football resumes after the coronavirus shutdown. He is even excited by prospect of playing Bruno Fernandes and Pogba together in the midfield (Only if he isn’t lured by the offers made by Real Madrid and Juventus…).
But Zinedine Zidane has marked the French World Cup winner as one of his top priorities in the next transfer window, and could use James Rodriquez as part of the deal to drive the price down, who made just 13 appearances for Madrid this season since returning from his two-year Bayern Munich loan and has missed the majority of the campaign through injury. Even Juventus are keen to swap Argentine sensation Paulo Dybala or Miralem Pjanic with Pogba. But with United signing Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish and Leicester star James Maddison, the midfield will be heavily stacked and Pogba will find it difficult to make the starting 11 on every occasion.
Moreover, Article 17 in the FIFA rulebook states that players can buy out the remaining years of their contract after three seasons with a club and Pogba hopes that this FIFA ruling will open the way for a departure to either Real Madrid or Juventus. It is reported that Los Blancos is the desired destination for the 27-year old.
He has to consider this United journey as a bad nightmare and should continue to move forward (to a new club?), rediscover his lost touch and mesmerize us all with his immense talent and skill set. Irrespective of where he plays, Pogba will surely establish himself as a dominant force in the midfield and one of the leaders of the game once competitive football resumes after the coronavirus break.
