Much was made of Manchester United's decision to allow Paul Pogba to leave the club for free for a second time in ten years, five after paying a league record fee to re-sign him. It meant that after 2012 they let the mercurial talent go free, watch him blossom into one of the most well-rounded midfielders on the planet, signed him back for £91m, fail to get the best from him and then watch him go again.
Despite Juventus getting nearly 200 games out of one of football's great enigmas for the price of just his wages, they may not have ended up winning this scenario. Nobody has. Pogba, at 30, is struggling physically and has missed 123 games through injury since 2019. He has played 91 for his two clubs in the same period.
It is a shame to see one of the game's best talents and entertainers held back by the shackles of his body. Whether he had issues that went beyond mismanagement at Manchester United or not is besides the point, here is a player that hasn't just fallen from the top like many, he has remained there but mostly from the outside looking in.
