Ah, Paul Pogba - that talented yet ultimately frustrating conundrum that even the most illustrious managers in world football have not quite managed to solve.
Rewind ten years and he was arguably one of the most exciting young footballers in the entirety of the game...but no longer. The Frenchman has now reached his 30th birthday - the peak for most professionals - but now looks likely to round off a career of unfulfilled promise with a few rare highs.
Pogba, a product of the famed Le Havre academy, has always been a figure that has courted debate. Two spells at Manchester United saw Pogba display his huge promise and ability but those times were ultimately punctured by disagreements with managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, as well as long spells on the treatment table.
After making his name with Juventus following his first Old Trafford exit, the Red Devils elected to spend what was then a world record transfer fee to secure his services once more. He kept up his momentum at United by helping the club to the Europa League and League Cup in his first season under Mourinho - whilst a 16-goal campaign in 2019/20 is also among the highlights.
He didn’t only just shine at Old Trafford though, Pogba was a key cog for Didier Deschamps as France claimed their second World Cup. He was on target in the final against Croatia and in the process became the first ever United player to score in a World Cup final.
Former Les Bleus star Marcel Desailly had seen Pogba’s promise early. Ahead of the tournament in Russia, he said: “He’s [Pogba] more talented than any midfielder of my generation.”
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Despite that, there was always an underlying atmosphere that he had still not quite managed to hit the immense heights expected of him with United. A frosty exchange with Mourinho also got fans questioning whether Pogba was completely committed to the cause.
Explaining the training ground confrontation years later, he said: “It started when I got injured. I said I was going to Miami to do rehabilitation.
“A paparazzi took a photo of Zulay [Pogba’s wife] and me. Jose sent the picture to Mino [Raiola]. I didn’t like that at all. He said he’s on holiday when we are working like [expletive].
“I told Mourinho are you serious? I’m injured. I train three times a day here. Who do you think I am? It was new to me to have an issue with my coach.”
It is certainly no surprise to see a return from injury mentioned as a problem considering that Pogba spent the vast majority of his final three seasons restricted to the sidelines. He made a combined 63 Premier League appearances over those campaigns, scoring just five goals, leaving coaches and supporters alike frustrated.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer laid down his desire for Pogba to stay but a new contract remained unsigned. United then suffered ignominy of losing his talents for nothing for the second time last summer, leaving Pogba at a crossroads as he attempted to relaunch his career.
There was talk over a move to Manchester City, while more recently reports in Italy have bizarrely suggested that he favoured a move to Tottenham. In the end, a reunion with Juventus was sealed and once again it looked as though the 91-time France international had the perfect stage to prove his detractors wrong away from the glaring eye spotlight of English football.
Speaking at the time, he said: “I like to think and say that it is my heart that made the choice. It was also perhaps the right time to come back here [Juventus].
“The last three years in Manchester, also affected by injuries, they did not go as I wanted, it is no mystery. I thought that if we added to this the fact that Juve have also arrived for two years in which they did not win the Scudetto, it was a great challenge for both of us.
“Maybe it was the right time to meet again and try to take back the place that belongs to us, to me and to Juve. And above all to win again.”
But things have gone even worse for Pogba since returning to Turin. He arrived at the club with a knee injury and was forced to undergo surgery, missing the World Cup as a result. Juventus have also endured a nightmare campaign. Instead of toasting his birthday with a Champions League outing, the Old Lady are in preparations for a Europa League clash with Freiburg unsurprisingly without Pogba.
It took until late February for him to make his second debut for the club, that coming as a substitute appearance in a 4-2 win against cross-city rivals Torino. Another cameo came against Roma before Pogba was caught up in controversy once more.
He was left out of the squad for Juventus’ Europa League clash against Freiburg for lateness. Boss Max Allegri joked in the aftermath by saying: “I think Pogba arrived on time tonight, so he will be available from tomorrow."
Pogba was not available though and is now set for another extended spell on the sidelines with a muscular injury. Reports in Italy have suggested that Juventus might be willing to cut short the lucrative four-year deal that the midfielder signed if they can’t sell him this summer.
Another free transfer would be the ultimate embarrassment for Pogba who’s attempts to solve his own career conundrum look likely to end in failure.
