“It’s hard to be playing regular [at Manchester United] when you often change positions, game system or partners. At Manchester United, do I really have a role? I ask the question and I don’t have the answer.”
That was Paul Pogba's reply when asked why he has found it hard to play his best football during his second spell with the club. File it under 'candid'.
The quest to 'unlock' Pogba has been a long and fruitless task for United with the Frenchman's form going through peaks and troughs. But maybe this constant search has been to the detriment of the player as shown in his interview with Le Figaro.
READ MORE: Paul Pogba's brutal honesty shows Manchester United must change
Many United fans have pointed to Pogba's form with France, where he has played as a free eight with little defensive responsibility and usually on the left of a midfield three. Commenting on his relationship with France head coach Didier Deschamps, Pogba said: "I get along very well with him, he gave me a role that I know, but at United do I really have a role? I ask the question but I don’t have an answer."
While he has been at United however he has been played in multiple positions as commented on by one fan on Twitter at the start of this season. And it shows that Pogba's claim may hold some weight.
Add to this the positions he has been asked to play under Ralf Rangnick, which includes a lone six and the left and right central midfield on either side of a midfield three, and it shows that Pogba has been unable to find his position. This may be due to constant injuries, which have seen him stay out of the team for long periods before slotting back in, but overall it might just be, as like with many United signings, he was bought with no clear plan in mind.
On his day, Pogba is one of United's best players and he is the only midfielder in the squad that is able to control the tempo of the game. But it seems like the World Cup winner is going to now leave the club on a free transfer without ever truly realising his potential.
This positional problem is something that has plagued many members of the squad in recent years including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek and Fred - and under Rangnick some have found their place finally - but not Pogba. Hopefully going forward United can correct their issues with scouting and player development and get the best out of their players to avoid another situation like this one happening again.
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