The Frenchman is the shining light of this Manchester United side.
Manchester United fans have been understandably preoccupied this week. With the fantasy of beating Manchester City to Alexis Sanchez threatening to become reality, they can be excused for having spent much of a routine victory over Stoke at Old Trafford thinking about the Chilean’s possible arrival.
It would be an extraordinary transfer. A kind of spiritual sequel to when Alex Ferguson convinced Arsene Wenger to part ways with Robin van Persie in 2012, Gunners now face the ignominy of watching Sanchez, the sparkling gem in an otherwise ordinary Arsenal side, turn out in the red of United.
If he does sign for United, it’s great for United. You can’t spin it any other way. Yes, paying €40million for a 29-year-old who could be available for free in the summer may be questionable, but let Ed Woodward worry about that. Let him worry about wages and agent fees, too, for that matter. Sanchez actually slotting into Jose Mourinho’s side is a tantalising prospect, adding fluency and dynamism to the attack.
Happy with the result 👊🏾 @ManUtd #mufc #heretocreate pic.twitter.com/cGt3CrMdcY
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) January 15, 2018
But, then again, if it doesn’t happen it’s not the end of the world. The Chilean is a rare enough talent, but so is Paul Pogba. The Frenchman was brilliant against Stoke on Monday night, a magnetic, marauding presence in the middle of the park. It was Stephen Ireland’s first Premier League start in 20 months. You had to feel for the midfielder being tasked with trying to stop Pogba tearing through Stoke’s spine. Ireland had one moment to savour, cheekily nutmegging Pogba to launch a counter-attack. Apart from that, it was the former Juventus star’s stage.
Pogba is now unbeaten in his last 35 league games for United. It’s no coincidence that they play better with him and play worse without him. He’s missed games through injury and suspension this season but when he’s played, United’s record is exceptional: nine wins and four draws. He has missed crucial games, like the defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City, when it was blatantly clear how much United missed his drive and invention. His capacity to run big games was then clearly evident when he created two goals in the 3-1 win at Arsenal, before his reckless streak took over and earned him a red card.
At Stoke, he was at it again. Assists, as a statistic, can be misleading. Sometimes it’s actually the player who scores the goal who creates the opportunity himself. Some would argue that Pogba’s ‘assist’ for Antonio Valencia falls into that category. Pogba found Valencia on the right but it was the full-back who created the opportunity to score by cutting back onto his left foot before whipping a glorious shot into the top corner.
Pogba’s second assist was less debatable, a perfectly-weighted disguised ball into Anthony Martial which was finished emphatically by the forward. At the end of the day, they both go down as Pogba’s assists. It means he now has nine in the Premier League this season, tying him with Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane for the most. Notably, Pogba has played much less than the Manchester City pair.
Man of the Match, @ManUtd’s Paul Pogba
Most touches (96)
Most chances created (4)
Most succ. dribbles (4)3rd PL app this season with 2 assists (more than any player)
Not lost a @premierleague app since 2016
(last 35 apps) pic.twitter.com/US0JQumsQo— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 15, 2018
But the most important thing for United is that, in the midst of a possible coup for Sanchez, Pogba continues to sing like a bird. Against Stoke, he had the most touches (96), most successful dribbles (4) and created the most chances (4). It’s the kind of breathtaking influence you’d expect to see from a player who cost €105m, but also serves to remind the footballing world that United don’t necessarily ‘need’ Sanchez.
More than anything, it seems as though the club has decided to pounce on opportunism more than anything. With City refusing to meet Arsenal’s valuation, United have decided to throw their hat in the ring for a player desperate to leave the Gunners.
If it happens, United will have another supremely talented footballer among their ranks. If they don’t, Mourinho still has a bonafide superstar around which he should continue to build this United team. From the manager’s post-match comments on Monday night, it seems he realises that much.
“I think he is happy with the way the team is playing and he’s happy because the team is changing the profile and the profile is going more in his direction.”
They keyword is happy. A lot of the time Pogba can resemble Sanchez, angrily throwing his arms around in a not-so-subtle message to his teammates. When he’s happy, though, he’s a breath of fresh air for United, like the Chilean has been for Arsenal. Mourinho is right. Sanchez is a phenomenal player and United would be better with him but, with Pogba shimmering magnificently in midfield, they’ll be fine without him.
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