Paul Pogba was used only as a sub during Manchester United’s 2nd leg vs Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night but the Frenchman did not do anything noteworthy despite getting 25-odd minutes on the pitch.
The midfielder replaced Bruno Fernandes in the 67th minute but even before the match started, Marcel Desailly criticised the French international for being a “lazy” player.
“Quality-wise, you cannot compare Pogba to Fred, McTominay or Matic,” Desailly told beIN SPORTS before the game, as per Fotmob.
“But he’s lazy. If you allow him to be a playmaker behind [Cristiano] Ronaldo he can take advantage of it.
Chiellini with big praise for Pogba 🤝 pic.twitter.com/5AvV9iTSNo
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 13, 2022
“When it goes well, he’s fantastic. When it doesn’t go well, offensively he hasn’t brought what everyone was expecting.
“At the same time he cheats a little bit and doesn’t drop back to help with the midfield defensively.”
Should Man United get rid of Paul Pogba asap?
Pogba’s contract expires in 2022 and there’s no way the club should even think of offering him a new deal. On Tuesday, he had only nine touches of the ball in the attacking areas and made only seven accurate passes.
With Fernandes playing as the No 10, Paul Pogba has to play as a central midfielder but the Frenchman clearly does not have the discipline to play in the middle of the pitch.
🚨 Paul Pogba's personal trainer has claimed the midfielder will "no longer be a Manchester United player" beyond this season.
(Source: Sun Sport) pic.twitter.com/4GyYFG8jtl
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 14, 2022
Rangnick is someone who is not afraid to make unpopular decisions so he will definitely not want to hold onto Paul Pogba beyond the summer. He would much rather free up the wage bill and use Pogba’s exit as the opportunity to sign a hard-working and disciplined midfielder.
Manchester United might need to rebuild once again in the summer but this time they will need players who are not only technically brilliant but at the same time are well disciplined and can work together as a team.
Paul Pogba is a flair player who needs to be given the freedom and license to do what he wants but unfortunately, that’s not how the current footballing world works. Teams like Man City and Liverpool have reached the top by maintaining strict discipline on the pitch and if Manchester United want to emulate them then they have to get rid of players like Pogba who think of themselves as bigger than the team.
