The Athletic writer Andy Mitten has picked out some very important points that describe how Paul Pogba’s current contract situation will change in the coming months.
Paul Pogba has flourished for Manchester United this season and the hate that he once received has gone down considerably. One of the reasons for this change is the Frenchman’s change in position in United’s current starting XI.
As per statistics, the best season for Paul Pogba at Manchester United has been the 2018/19 season. He scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions for the Red Devils.
He went to double figures in terms of assists just twice from the time he rejoined Manchester United from Juventus back in 2016.
This season he has already made seven assists in just two months and it looks like he could break his own assists record at Manchester United if he continues at this rate. A 20 assists season is not too far for him.
But if you ever consider, all the current assists that he has provided have come from the left-wing. Solskjaer has made him play as a winger and this has helped him to get more involved while attacking.
Aginst Newcastle United, his gorgeous passing skills were on full display as he provided four assists breaking the record for most assists by a Manchester United player in a single Premier League game.
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He also became the first player in the history of the Premier League to provide seven assists in the first four games of a Premier League season. Currently, he is leading the assists chart and it looks like the vintage Paul Pogba has returned for Manchester United.
But when things are finally pulling off for Paul Pogba, a big issue has come up all the way back to haunt him. It is the return of Marcus Rashford.
Yes, you will question that how will Rashford affect Pogba’s current form. The English winger is expected to mark a return to the club after three months as he was recovering from shoulder surgery.
Marcus has been playing as a left-winger for Man United for years and as it was seen last year that Paul Pogba was made to play as a defensive midfielder by Solskjaer whenever Rashford was present in the starting XI.
With Bruno Fernandes covering up the attacking midfield position while Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho covering up the right-wing spot, it seems that Paul Pogba will have to move back in a much more defensive role.
And this is not for just a few matches, it will be for an entire season till that right-wing spot is occupied. This explains the whole theory behind Paul Pogba’s current scenario.
Last season, playing alongside Fred, Paul Pogba received huge criticism, and this year it has been Scott McTominay. Yes, Fred is the worm in this squad who is putting more pressure on his fellow players and himself fails to deliver.
But his inconsistency puts more pressure on Paul Pogba. Week in and week out, as the Premier League matches will intensify in the upcoming months, and with Marcus Rashford returning to action this month, Paul Pogba will be shifted to the defensive midfield role.
We know that the French midfielder doesn’t like to play defensively and it is not his natural position. Solskjaer could have solved this issue if he would have signed a strong defensive midfielder to take care of proceedings and let Paul Pogba play as an attacking midfielder alongside Bruno Fernandes.
But as the transfer window will not reopen in January, Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to find a solution for this issue right now.
Will Pogba sign a new contract??
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Nevertheless, if the manager fails to bring out a positive solution, Paul Pogba will reject a new contract and his agent Mino Raiola will then start convincing the club to let him leave or pay him much more.
Although United is ready to offer him Β£400k per week, this could solve just one part of the Paul Pogba dilemma but not the whole scenario regarding his positional play.
The upcoming months will be crucial to watch.
