Three players who could replace Paul Pogba at Manchester United
As The Express puts it down, Paul Pogba might return to Juventus in January, following Manchester United’s poor start to the season and his strained relationship with Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman left Manchester United for Serie club giants Juventus in 2012 and then returned to Old Trafford in 2016. Since then, Pogba has made a total of 64 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals and registering 14 assists. The 25-year-old has been a key cog in United’s midfield for the past couple of seasons and was instrumental in their Europa League win in the 2016/17 season.
Pogba has started all four games for United this term and has scored twice from penalties. His departure will surely create a massive void for the club, making it difficult to replace him.
Here are three realistic options for United to consider, should the Frenchman depart in January.
1. Miralem Pjanic
The 28-year-old Bosnian was once a seasoned campaigner for AS Roma and he currently plays for Italian club Juventus. Given the nature of their playing styles, Manchester United must try to arrange a swap deal.
Although he is neither particularly quick nor gifted with athleticism or physical strength, Pjanic can be described as an efficient yet old-fashioned playmaker with impressive technical qualities.
A talented, creative and tenacious midfielder, Pjanic is usually deployed either in a central midfield role or as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the backline. His tactical versatility, defensive awareness and work rate enable him to play in several midfield positions. Furthermore, he has also been deployed in more advanced roles as an attacking midfielder and even as a second striker on occasions.
Pjanic’s main attributes are his range of passing, dribbling skills and vision, making him an excellent assist-provider. He is also adept at dictating the tempo in the midfield and orchestrating goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Known for his eye for the goal from the midfield and striking abilities from a distance, Pjanic can also get into good scoring positions by making late attacking runs into the penalty area from behind.
A renowned set-piece specialist, he is highly regarded for his accurate, bending free-kicks, as well as his delivery from dead-ball situations.
2. Marco Verratti
The 25-year-old Italian midfielder currently plies his trade for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
A quick, creative, agile and technically-gifted playmaker, Verratti is known for his confidence on the ball and ability to retain possession in tight spaces when under pressure due to his low centre of gravity. He also boasts of excellent dribbling skills and close ball control.
His vision and range of passing enable him to create chances for his teammates with accurate long passes. In addition, he can also control the tempo of his team’s play in the midfield through precise yet short exchanges.
3. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
At 23 years of age, Serbia’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic looks destined to become one of the greatest midfielders on the planet and currently plays for Serie A club Lazio.
Standing at 6ft 4 inches, Milinkovic-Savic can be termed as the Serbian version of Paul Pogba and is the ideal modern-day midfield package. His style of play is outlined by his agility and a good range of passing, which allows him to distribute the ball efficiently to dictate the tempo of the midfield. Besides that, he is known for some delightful long-range shooting and the ability to contribute to attacks with his movement off the ball.
Not only does the Serbian have the vision and goal-scoring ability of an attacking midfielder but he also has the height and the physicality of a defensive midfielder. He is good in the air and can be used as a target man at times.
