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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
James Findlater

Ian Wright issues damning Paul Pogba verdict on Manchester United's transfer business

Ian Wright has pointed to Paul Pogba’s signing at Manchester United as an example for clubs of how not to conduct their transfer business.

Pogba has struggled to hit a consistent run of form at club level ever since returning to Old Trafford in 2016 for what was at the time a world record fee of £89.3million.

Although he has shown glimpses of his talent, United have generally struggled to find a way to fit him in their side, with the World Cup winner having been utilised in various positions during his second spell at the club.

United now face losing the France international with his contract set to expire in the summer and a number of clubs, including Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, being linked with him.

And Arsenal legend Wright, speaking to Premier League productions, believes United made a mistake when bringing back Pogba, pointing towards Liverpool’s signing of Virgil van Dijk as an example of how they should be doing their business.

“You look at Pogba, he’s not a six, he’s not an eight and not a 10,” Wright said.

“He is a player we saw when he played for Juventus, on the left, with a very well-balanced midfield and played with freedom. Aaron Ramsey, the same kind of player. He plays with freedom. You need the right players.

“That is where people are buying the wrong type of player without fitting them in. This is where the Virgil van Dijk signing is absolutely perfect.

“That’s why they would have paid another £25m for him – you look at how Virgil was playing for Celtic, he is playing exactly the same now.

“This is why all of the top teams have missed out on a player that was showing, the fact that he was playing in a league that wasn’t as good as the Premier League, but Liverpool have benefited from it.”

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