Man United midfielder Paul Pogba celebrates after scoring in the Manchester United. (Getty Images)
According to various reports over the last few weeks, it seems like Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba’s tenure at Old Trafford is coming to an end.
A report from The Metro claims that the Frenchman could return to the starting XI for the Manchester Derby but a Cadena Cope (h/t Sky Sports) report suggests that Pogba is still pushing for move to join Real Madrid in the near future.
With troubles continuing to mount for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United must give Pogba what he wants and sanction an exit at the earliest.
The 26-year-old, who joined for a fee of £89m during Jose Mourinho’s tenure, has failed to live up to his exorbitant price tag since arriving. The form he displayed for France in the 2018 World Cup was incredible and he walked away with the trophy as well.
However, in a United shirt, the midfielder has struggled to replicate those sharp performances. Last season, Mourinho’s defensive tactics did somewhat limit his impact but he has done nothing to make a strong case for himself this season so far.
An injury kept him on the sidelines as well and it remains to be seen if he returns for the Manchester Derby. But regardless of that, the Red Devils must sell him as soon as possible. There is absolutely no point in retaining a player, who, despite pocketing weekly wages of £290,000, fails to deliver on the big stage.
As far as his stats from the previous campaign are concerned, he registered an admirable 13 goals and 9 assists in 35 league appearances. But those numbers are his best since arriving in 2016.
In his first season, he played 30 top-flight games and scored 5 goals while providing 4 assists. The next term was not too great either, with just 6 goals and 10 assists in 27 league appearances. And in the ongoing season, Pogba has only provided 2 assists and is yet to score a single goal.
Furthermore, with various reports of him trying to force an exit doing the rounds, United must offload him.
Solskjaer’s own future at the club is in jeopardy, following a string of disappointing results. And he must make the harsh decision of selling Pogba since the funds raised would potentially go a long way in adding some much-needed reinforcements to the squad. Pogba would also be able to complete a move to Santiago Bernabeu, just like he wants.