Pogba continues to shine bright away from the spotlight

TAKE yourself out of Russia for one moment and cast your mind back to Sat April 7. Manchester City are hosting Manchester United in a derby which could wrap up the title for Pep Guardiola’s side in the sweetest way possible for the fans packed inside the Etihad.

It was Paul Pogba who dominated all of the pre-match build-up. Guardiola mischievously said City were offered to sign Pogba, with the Frenchman then choosing to arrive at the stadium with blue hair. Jose Mourinho’s side were poor in the first half and found themselves two down at the break.

Enter Pogba, who took all the plaudits by scoring two good goals to claw United back into the game which set up Chris Smalling to complete an emphatic comeback.

A week later and United lost 1-0 to West Brom at Old Trafford. Pogba was cautioned in the first half and brought off after an hour. So are his good games anomalies?

Perhaps, but if you look at the string of consistently good performances he is putting together for France, it is easy to discover that he is far more than the erratic performer at United.

Playing alongside N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi gives him significantly more creative licence, but it’s Pogba’s relationship with Kylian Mbappe which has allowed him to play at his best in Russia.

At Old Trafford Pogba shared a midfield with Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez for the majority of the season.

Often when he received the ball, 75,000 fans and nine outfield players in red would stare back at him expectantly. Not through lack of talent, but through the weight of expectation Pogba is often perceived to be a fraction of the player he is portrayed in his highlight reels.

The responsibility to win games is all his at United, but with France he is accompanied by Antoine Griezmann, Kante and Mbappe who play to Pogba’s many strengths in creative moves.

“We talk about him as being a bit lazy, but tonight he’s been second to none,” Danny Murphy told BBC Sport .

Against Belgium Pogba’s performance was good, not exceptional and not dreadful, which is fine. If Pogba performed the way he did yesterday but in a Manchester United shirt, the umpteenth inquest would begin about his time at Old Trafford.

Instead, he’s on his way to a World Cup final where he will quite possibly be the one who can win France’s second tournament, whether i t’s down to a stunning solo performance or another disciplined showing. – The Independent