Manchester City have been linked with an audacious move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, with the Frenchman out of contract this summer.
With no progress being made on a new contract, Pogba looks set to leave United at the end of his contract, but remaining in the Premier League remains a possibility. Arsenal and Chelsea have previously been linked with the midfielder, but United's fierce rivals City are rumoured to be monitoring the situation, although recent rumours suggest that the midfielder has decided against a move to the Etihad.
With Fernandinho set to leave Pep Guardiola's side in the summer, City could dip into the transfer market for a new midfielder. The club have already secured the signing of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland ahead of next season.
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So, if Pogba was to make the move to City in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Guardiola's side? Could the Frenchman become a regular in the City XI? We simulated the 2022-23 season with Pogba in the City squad and these were the results.
We 'signed' Paul Pogba for Man City in next season
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Pogba to join City at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. Let's see how the 29-year-old performed throughout the 2022-23 season at City on FM22.
Fighting for a starting spot against some of the world's best midfielders, Pogba failed to break into the City XI, with his appearances limited during his first season at the club. In total, Pogba made only 27 appearances for City in all competitions, with only eight of them being starts.
Pogba made most of his appearances in the Premier League, making six starts and 11 cameos off the bench. In all competitions, the Frenchman grabbed three goals and just one assist, with two of his goals and that one assist coming in the Carabao Cup third round against Burton Albion.
When compared to the rest of City's central midfielders, Pogba averaged the second-lowest rating and made the least appearances throughout the season. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were the two standout midfielders, both reaching double figures in goals and assists.
Pogba grabbed the fewest assists out of all the midfielders, but he did score more than both Rodri and Ilkay Gundgoan. The latter had a disappointing season for City, averaging a rating of just 6.89 per game - the lowest in the squad. At the end of the 2022-23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Man City XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what City's best XI looked like at the end of the 2022-23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
City's best XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Sterling, Haaland, Foden.
With Pogba not a regular starter, he failed to make the Man City best XI, with De Bruyne, Rodri and Bernardo all starting ahead of him. Erling Haaland had an incredible season, scoring 43 times in 59 games, whilst Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling made the squad ahead of Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez and Gabriel Jesus.
So, how did City perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Pogba in the summer transfer window? Let's take a look.
Man City's results from the 2022-23 simulation:
The Premier League title race went down to the final day of the season, with City, Liverpool and Arsenal all able to lift the trophy on the final day. City won their game 2-1 with Haaland scoring both the goals meaning Liverpool would need to win by seven goals to overtake City.
The Reds could only win their game by five, meaning City lifted the trophy with a better goal difference. Haaland's impact saw City finish as the league's top scorers, which proved to be the difference between second and first place.
As well as the Premier League title, City finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy, with Haaland scoring in the 2-1 win over Liverpool in the final. A 3-2 loss to Chelsea in extra-time saw the Londoners win the FA Cup, whilst Thomas Tuchel's side also got the better of City in the Carabao Cup, winning 3-2 in that final as well.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if City were to sign Pogba ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Frenchman would become an unnecessary addition to Guardiola's squad, failing to become a regular starter and also underperforming when called upon. If this simulation shows anything, it's that a move for Pogba should potentially be avoided.
Would you like to see Paul Pogba s ign for Manchester City this summer? Let us know in the comments!
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