According to latest reports, Paul Pogba has told his agent, Mino Raiola to start working on a move back to Juventus. The Manchester United midfielder no longer feels appreciated by his manager or the fans at Old Trafford, hinting at a possible exit to Turin.
These are not the most shocking claims after the reported bust-up between Jose Mourinho and Pogba earlier in the 2017/18 season. The latter fell into the midfield rotation behind the likes of Scott McTominay and Ander Herrera after failing to perform consistently. This infuriated the Frenchman which led to heavy speculations over his probable departure from the Old Trafford.
Pogba signed back with Manchester in the summer of 2016 for a record-breaking £89m transfer fee. The skilled midfielder was expected to continue his impressive run of form in the Premier League but so far that has not been the case.
He has managed 6 goals and 12 assists and looks to be unsettled in Mourinho’s midfield system. The 25-year-old has been made to play from deep as well as more offensive locations but has still not gelled with his teammates as much as he would have liked.
He still remains a key component of the United midfield and their best creative head by far but somehow Mourinho’s defensive demands are far too rigorous for his likes. Pogba could be an absolute mastermind when given the ball but sometimes lacks the discipline to fall back into position.
United’s second-place finish in the Premier League, 19 points behind their next-door rivals and current Premier League champions Manchester City has shown us of the leaks the current system has. Alexis Sanchez has mostly been a mishit and the offensive lineup struggles to get going on the counter.
Such was the case against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals and in the FA Cup finals against Chelsea. Maybe the likes of Pogba and Mourinho cannot exist at the same side and selling the player would be the best move forward.
Here are a few names that the Portuguese tactician could look to sign as a replacement.
Sergej Milinković-Savić
Lazio have set a massive asking price for the 21-year-old since getting linked with a move to Old Trafford itself. He netted the ball 14 times and assisted a further 9 to impress scouts from various regions of Europe.
Anderson Talisca
He plies his trade for Portuguese outfit, Benfica and has been prolific for Besiktas last season. He helped the Turkish side, while out on loan, to the round of 16 of the Champions League and was involved in 28 goals.
Mateo Kovacic
The Croatian international is not the chosen starter for Real Madrid and under Zinedine Zidane, he has only managed to appear sporadically ever since his switch from Inter Milan. Maybe the time is now for a change and Manchester United can be the right destination for the midfield ace in the present situation.
