Paul Pogba’s departure from Manchester United marks the end of an association that promised so much, and in the end failed to deliver.
United confirmed Pogba will officially leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the month as Erik ten Hag’s rebuild at Old Trafford gets underway. The midfielder is expected to rejoin Juventus, six years on from leaving the Turin side to make his return to United.
While he is considered one of the brightest talents of his generation, United fans have been left continually frustrated at how little they’ve seen the best of the 29-year-old. They’ve also had to put up with his antics off the pitch, with his departure being touted on several occasions.
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As investments go, the then-world record £89million fee United paid to secure Pogba’s return in 2016 certainly doesn’t reflect well on the club’s dealings over the past few years. As the French international leaves once again for free, Sir Alex Ferguson’s prediction before his first exit has proven as pertinent now as it did then.
Pogba’s original departure in 2012 left a bitter taste in the mouth of the legendary United boss, with Ferguson accusing the midfielder of showing a lack of respect to the club. Even before he headed out of the exit, his former boss was scarily accurate in his prediction of how Pogba’s career would pan out.
Former Lyon and Marseille goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta got the chance to speak to Ferguson back in 2011. Speaking to RMC Sport about the meeting, he said: “I was invited to Manchester United training by Sir Alex Ferguson. I went there with two children from my association.
"I had lunched with him and he told me about Paul Pogba, who was 17 at the time. He told me: 'You see this player, he will be extraordinary, full of talent. He will be at the top.
“’But he's a dreamer and if nobody is there to show him his way, he'll never make it.' That was a few years ago and here we are today in that debate."
It’s telling that many of Pogba’s best performances during his career have come with his national team, where he has played for a long time under Didier Deschamps. His second spell at United though has seen him playing under a string of managers, not to mention falling out with Jose Mourinho.
Not having a regular authoritative figure, like Ferguson, has clearly been to Pogba’s detriment. United have certainly not seen the best of him, and now they never will.
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