Having completed the high profile signings of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly already in this transfer window, Man United brought a conclusion to the main transfer saga of the summer by confirming the acquisition of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba for a world record transfer fee, believed to be around £89 million.
The France international put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Red Devils and, discussing his move with the club’s official website, the 23-year old went on to say:
“I am delighted to rejoin United. It has always been a club with a special place in my heart and I am really looking forward to working with Jose Mourinho. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Juventus and have some fantastic memories of a great club with players that I count as friends. But I feel the time is right to go back to Old Trafford. I always enjoyed playing in front of the fans and can’t wait to make my contribution to the team. This is the right club for me to achieve everything I hope to in the game.. For myself as well it’s a big challenge too, just to come back to where I came from, where I grew up, where I started. I didn’t finish what I started here so I think I came here to finish it.”
The History
Born in Langy-sur-Marne, France, Pogba began his youth career at Roissy-en-Brie and Torcy, before moving to Le Havre as a 14-year-old in 2007.
Two years later, in July 2009, Pogba signed for Man United, and spent the next couple of seasons impressing for the Under 18s, playing a crucial role in their FA Youth Cup success in 2011.
Ahead of the 2011/12 campaign, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed Pogba would feature in his first-team squad for the forthcoming season, and the Frenchman was handed his professional debut off the bench in a League Cup tie against Leeds United in September 2011.
He would make his Premier League debut as a substitute against Stoke City in January 2012, but having only made seven appearances in all competitions in 2011/12, Pogba decided not to sign a new contract at Old Trafford, and completed a move to Italian giants Juventus in July 2012.
In Pogba’s first season in Italy, he was heavily involved in the first-team squad, racking up 27 league appearances and scoring five goals, as Juve claimed the Serie A title.
The following year saw Pogba really emerge as a star of the Juventus side, totalling seven goals and as many assists in 36 league matches, as The Old Lady, under the stewardship of Antonio Conte, won another league title.
A hamstring injury meant Pogba was limited to 26 league appearances in 2014/15, although he still managed an impressive eight goals and three assists, as Juve, under new boss Massimiliano Allegri, secured another league success, while they also reached the Champions League final, losing 3-1 to Barcelona.
Last season, Pogba was handed the famous No. 10 shirt following the departure of Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors, and he lived up to expectations by chalking up eight goals and 12 assists in 35 league matches, picking up his fourth Serie A winners medal in as many seasons.
Pogba represented his country at all levels from Under 16 to Under 20, scoring 11 goals in 59 matches, before making his senior debut in a 3-1 win against Georgia in March 2013. He impressed at the 2014 World Cup, winning the tournament’s Best Young Player award, while he was also an integral member of their squad that reached the final of Euro 2016. He has currently made 38 appearances for France, scoring six goals and registering five assists.
The Prospects
With Mourinho a firm advocate of the 4-2-3-1 formation, Pogba looks certain to feature in the double-pivot at United.
Given the Frenchman’s qualities lie more with his attacking prowess, it’s likely the more defensive Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin will primarily be battling for a place alongside the former Juve player, although Ander Herrera and, to a lesser extent, Marouane Fellaini provide further alternatives.
After snapping up the Frenchman, Mourinho explained just how crucial he will be to his first-team plans:
“Paul is one of the best players in the world and will be a key part of the United team I want to build here for the future. He is quick, strong, scores goals and reads the game better than many players much older than he is. At 23, he has the chance to make that position his own here over many years. He is young and will continue to improve; he has the chance to be at the heart of this club for the next decade and beyond.”
Playing in a deeper role compared to Anthony Martial and Mkhitaryan, who are both listed as midfielders in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Pogba may, however, find it difficult to rival the attacking output of those two players, who both set us back 9.5 this season.
Considering he’ll be stationed in a deeper role than the two wide men, Pogba’s share of set-piece duties could well be key. Both Wayne Rooney and Ibrahimovic offer strong options in that regard but if the Frenchman is handed a fair share of free-kicks and corners, his appeal would obviously be on the up.
The Fantasy Premier League has handed Pogba a 8.5 price tag, which means the France international will need to deliver similar attacking returns from last season to rival the pair in our thoughts as premium midfield options.
Looking at last season’s underlying statistics, Pogba did average a shot every 24.3 minutes, better than both Mkhitaryan (31.8) and Martial (48.6). It worth bearing in mind that 82 of Pogba’s 124 total goal attempts were from outside the area, though.
Mkhitaryan held the edge for creativity last term, though, averaging a key pass every 31.1 minutes, superior to both Pogba (55.9) and Martial (74.9).
Having enjoyed an extended break following Euro 2016, it remains to be seen whether Pogba will feature at Bournemouth on Sunday, with his debut perhaps likely to come against Southampton in Gameweek 2.
Like Pogba, Martial was late back from Euro 2016 duties and could have his minutes managed for the first couple of fixtures, whilst Mourinho’s decision to hand Mkhitaryan a two-minute sub cameo against Leicester at the weekend suggests he’ll be initially eased into life in the Premier League.
Initially, then, it may well be that Ibrahimovic is the safest route into the United attack for our 15-man squads. The Swede has already found the net twice during pre-season and has now risen to 37% ownership in FPL ahead of trips to Hull and Watford in the first three Gameweeks.
There’s little doubt, though, that once both Pogba and Martial are up to full match sharpness and Mkhitaryan has settled, the United midfield is set to offer Fantasy managers a real dilemma in 2016/17, with all three jostling for our attentions over the course of the campaign.
