IT looks like Paul Pogba is heading for a summer exit from Old Trafford – but are Manchester United prepared for life without their all-action midfielder?
The France star is United’s best player and, despite injury issues, remains the one others in the squad look up to.
Pogba’s deal is up in the summer and the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are thought to want to snap him up on a free transfer.
The 28-year-old has reportedly rejected a new contract at Old Trafford and he can now start discussing terms with other clubs.
That leaves the Red Devils in a huge predicament, especially as they are yet to appointment their next permanent boss, and therefore reshape their squad as he will want.
Caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick has challenged Pogba to ‘show up’ for the final months of the season – whatever he decides afterwards.
The German points out Pogba will need to finish the campaign well for his own future interests, as well as those of the club.
United have failed to get their off-field structure right in recent years but they will be looking to turn over a new leaf once Rangnick’s consultancy role begins at the end of the season. Starting with the Pogba issue.
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The main problem they face is any replacement will struggle to cope with the pressure of the role Pogba has in United’s midfield as he has regularly made the team tick and helped to link midfield to attack.
There are not too many players around that have his natural ability and technical quality.
The board have had a policy of making three summer recruitments in recent years and have already identified the need to bring in a holding midfielder, centre-forward and right winger in the summer.
If Pogba goes they will need two new central midfielders – one new one and one to replace him.
And the last time they signed two players for the middle of the park was in July 2015 when they recruited Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin.
Pogba has eight Prem assists this season in 988 minutes of football –
only Liverpool trio Mo Salah (10), Trent Alexander-Arnold (10) and Andrew Roberston (9) have more, and two of them have played twice as much as the Frenchman.
Of his United team-mates, Bruno Fernandes has the second best assists record so far this campaign with six.
West Ham star Declan Rice has been linked with United but he is a different type of midfielder to Pogba.
And a better plan would be to play Rice as a No 6 to screen the defence and break up the opposition’s play, while giving Pogba the freedom to keep possession and create chances.
So there is a question mark over whether United are prepared for life after Pogba.
It is not a new scenario as they previously failed to replace key individuals in Cristiano Ronaldo when he left for Real Madrid in 2009, and Paul Scholes when he retired in 2013.
And with the huge gap in quality between Pogba and other midfielders in the squad, the club may not realise what they had until it’s gone.
@UTDWorldwide @asif9707
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
