Paul Pogba: He plays well for France. That is seemingly the crux of any argument defending the now former Manchester United man.
At Old Trafford, £89million has well and truly left the building and the club will be wondering, from a football perspective at least, what they got out of the deal other than a lot of hassle. Signed from Juventus in 2016, shortly after guiding France to the final of Euro 2016, Pogba was Jose Mourinho's marquee signing in his first summer.
But alarm bells were quickly rung following an ill-disciplined display in the Manchester derby defeat that September. However, the capture of three trophies largely covered up any cracks at Old Trafford, even as the team finished outside the top four. It was in Mourinho's second - and last full - season that more firm issues would appear.
Largely the questions being asked surrounded Pogba's best position. Could he be the fulcrum of a working midfield? Should he play deep and dictate? Did he need freedom to attack the final third? Six years on and no one, be it Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick or the millions of United fans across the globe, ever did find a definitive answer.
Pogba was able to thrive from a young age at Juventus, whether under the hardline Antonio Conte or the somewhat softer, more player friendly Max Allegri. In a midfield featuring experienced heads like Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, where his role was more defined, the Frenchman would become one of the most sought after players on the planet in Turin.
But whilst the environment for Pogba was perfect at Juventus, it seemed to be anything but in Manchester. Mourinho though defended himself and the club in 2018, insisting the question of Pogba maximising his potential as a player could only be solved by the man himself.
He said: "I don't think it us getting the best out of him, it's about him giving the best he has to give." Clearly focus was an issue and that became abundantly clear in the summer of 2018 when Pogba was scoring in the World Cup final and shining as Les Bleus produced a number of mature displays to become world champions for the second time.
The superstar image that surrounded the midfielder wasn't always well received by Mourinho, publicly or privately. The task of keeping Pogba's eyes focused on the bread and butter of the Premier League for nine months of each year proved a task he was unable to master, and ultimately nor could either of his successors. Perhaps that best explains why we see such a different player for club and country; Didier Deschamps has never had to get Pogba ready for trips to Vicarage Road or the John Smith's Stadium.
The environments are different, as are the individuals involved and the demands placed. Mourinho though cited the time for which Pogba needed to be on his A-game as a key factor in the differentiation between the player who wore red and the one who wore his country's blue.
After France's 2018 success, Mourinho said: "I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give the best. Why? Because he's closed for a month where he can only think about football. During a season you can have a big match, then a small match, then one even smaller, then you can lose your focus."
That was backed up by performances just months earlier.
Ask about Pogba's best game in a United shirt and many will point to the Manchester derby in April 2018. Losing 2-0 at the Etihad, the Red Devils scored three second-half goals to complete a miraculous turnaround. Pogba finished impressively to bring United back into the game before heading home an equaliser shortly after. His influence on the game grew and grew as Pep Guardiola's men were stunned and he looked like every inch an £89million superstar.
Alas, fast forward a week and United needed to beat basement side West Brom at Old Trafford to delay City's title party. Pogba couldn't inspire an abject team display during a 1-0 defeat, leaving Mourinho to label his side "masters in complication". This was a recurring theme - world beater Pogba one week, flop the next. Thus, Mourinho's focus narrative had, and continues to have, legs to it.
Even now we still see France performances as the barometer of what he can produce. At Euro 2020 he was the competition's outstanding performer until they were dumped out on penalties by Switzerland after a remarkable comeback. Mourinho was the United manager who demanded the most from Pogba, but in the end their deteriorating relationship was a microcosm for the Special One's demise in Manchester.
Following his World Cup success the Frenchman was handed the armband for the opening day of the 2018/19 season, scoring in a win over Leicester City. However, within weeks, that role was stripped from Pogba and Mourinho said he would never again be captain during his tenure.
The now infamous training exchange, for many, sums up the pair's dynamic. Mourinho made comments as Pogba jogged into training and appeared to do little more than say hello to teammates and coaches; whatever the Portuguese said, it left the Frenchman and a fellow United coach surprised and there was no little displeasure in Pogba's eyes as he turned around to face his then-manager.
It was clear their relationship had broken down, but the saga continued for months. The midfielder didn't start in consecutive games against Fulham and Arsenal in December 2018, shortly before Mourinho's dismissal.
At Anfield, in Mourinho's United finale, Pogba was an unused substitute. In the end, he had given up trying to get France's Paul Pogba into a red shirt.
