Manchester United are on the brink of resigning French golden boy Paul Pogba, for a rumoured world record fee, as they look to bolster their squad for a title challenge next season.
Manchester United fans, rivals fans, managers and pundits have all had their say about the signing speculating whether Pogba is a good fit at Manchester United and if the player is worth the world breaking transfer fee.
Below are five reasons why re-signing Paul Pogba is a good thing for Manchester United:
Statement Signing
Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and with that high level of prestige comes a higher level of expectations placed on the club by fans and sponsors.
Pogba will be Manchester United’s first statement signing since they plucked Robin Van Persie from Arsenal in 2012 (Di Maria? Nah).
By signing Pogba, Manchester United are reminding the world that very few clubs can match their spending power and player allure.
Midfield Presence
One of the main criticisms of the final years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign was his failure to sign midfielders that could dominate games the way Paul Scholes and Roy Keane could.
United’s current midfielders have a lot of technical skill, but none of them can single-handedly influence a game the way the likes of Yaya Toure, or Xabi Alonso can. The signing of Paul Pogba should give Manchester United that midfield swagger they’ve been missing for years.
Tactical Flexibility
Jose Mourinho, without a doubt, is one of the most tactically aware managers in modern football. The Portuguese gaffer likes to pick his tactics based on the strength of the opposition.
Pogba is comfortable as a box to box midfielder, as a number 10, and even as a deep lying playmaker. This gives Mourinho the leeway to tweak his team to be more attacking/defensive before the start of a match, or even during the game depending on what result he’s aiming for.
Star Dust
Every elite team in the world should have one midfielder capable of conjuring a moment of magic to turn a defeat into a draw, or a draw into a win.
For years Wayne Rooney was the man for Manchester United but his powers are now on the wane, Zlatan at 34 could be the man, but at his age, nobody knows how we’ll adapt to the physicality of the league.
Paul Pogba heads back to Old Trafford approaching the peak of his
powers, loaded with confidence, and near invincibility. If anyone can regularly be a game changer at Old Trafford going forward, the odds are that it’ll be the Frenchman.
Resale Value
Signing Paul Pogba is not as huge a gamble as it seems. Barring any massive drop in form or career threatening injury, Pogba at age 23 can be sold in the next 3/4 years at a similar, or even increased price to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, but for now, he’ll be plying his trade for Manchester United.
In fact, the £75m signing 29-year-old Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus) makes less of sense in business terms, as his value is bound to drop astronomically over the next 2/3 years.
