Pogba 2.0: How summit with Solskjaer and Raiola’s swipe revitalised his United career

Tips revived French midfielder to play ‘a massive part’ in his former club defying the odds to win the title this year

What threatened to become a toxic situation for the club has become a catalyst for his revival

Paul Pogba’s Manchester United career has been littered with incidences of the midfielder drawing extra attention to himself and falling short under an even more intense spotlight. Take the Premier League game against Liverpool in January 2017, when Old Trafford’s perimeter boards were busy promoting Pogba’s own custom Twitter emoji, only for the PR stunt to backfire when the player conceded a penalty for handball during a dismal showing.

You certainly had to wonder if Pogba was being set up for another fall when his agent, Mino Raiola, declared on the eve of United’s crucial Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig last month that United were not giving his “unhappy” client the freedom to express himself and that the player wanted out. Coming 4½ hours before United’s biggest game of the season, to say Raiola’s remarks were met with indignation at Old Trafford is an understatement.

Raiola had actually given the interview to Tuttosport in the days leading up to Pogba scoring in a 3-1 win at West Ham the weekend before Leipzig, but there were some at United who found it hard to believe such a wily agent was not fully aware of when his comments would be published.

Indeed, one or two of the club’s longer-standing staff likened it to the moment in 2010 when Wayne Rooney announced his desire to leave United, citing their struggles to match his ambitions, only a couple of hours before a Champions League match against Bursaspor.

The difference, of course, was that many United fans could not imagine a team without Rooney then, but did not share anything like the same sentiments about Pogba, who had countless offers from supporters on social media happy to help pack his bags.

More than six weeks on, there are more cautious fans who will want to see Pogba’s sudden, dramatic resurgence lead to something more substantial than a clutch of very encouraging, match-winning performances before they revise opinions of a player for whom consistent impact has proved elusive.

But what threatened to become a toxic situation for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United has served as the unexpected catalyst behind Pogba’s mini-renaissance and, from looking a little too dependent on the creative talents of Bruno Fernandes, the club’s surprise title charge is being given an added push by a player finally living up to his £89million billing.

Unbeaten in 13 league matches, United and Pogba’s comebacks are as startling as each other. Just as Fernandes’s level has dropped a touch, Pogba has stepped up.

Pogba’s superb, decisive strike in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory against Fulham followed a goal and man-ofthe-match display a week earlier in the 1-0 win at Burnley. In the stands at Turf Moor on that freezing cold Tuesday night, opinions were hardening among some of United’s coaching staff that Raiola’s remarks had left Pogba feeling a concerted extra pressure to perform.

Solskjaer had refused to go to war with Pogba over his agent’s claims, but he did make his displeasure known to the player. Pogba was told the door remained open for him, but there was no disguising the fact that the manager felt let down and, for all Pogba’s problems with Jose Mourinho, there has never been a hint of ill feeling towards Solskjaer.

Pogba enters the final 12 months of his contract this summer. Juventus are considered his most likely destination if he did go, but he has not been knocking the door down for a transfer this month, despite the Italian club’s overtures. Indeed, the idea that Pogba is only playing for a move would surely be trumped by the prospect of silverware this season.

The idea he is only playing for a move is trumped by the prospect of silverware

Turning 28 in March, he is in a hurry to win things and his steely focus in recent weeks has not gone unnoticed, or the way he has cut back on commercial commitments.

Some have pointed out that the prospect of Pogba losing a regular starting place for France, with the European Championship to come at the end of the season, has helped sharpen the focus of a player who takes great pride in representing his country. Didier Deschamps has defended Pogba, but the France coach was under pressure in some

quarters to drop him before he offered a reminder of his talents.

Rooney, for one, feels Pogba will be critical to United’s title chances. “Six weeks ago I said to the coaches in the office here that I felt Man United would win the league – I still feel that today,” the former United striker, now manager of Derby County, said yesterday. “Paul Pogba will have a massive part to play in that. They have brought players in with winning mentalities – Fernandes, Edinson Cavani – which will relieve a bit of that pressure on

Paul so he can do what he does best and show his quality on the pitch.”

There was a time not too long ago when Pogba might not have recovered from his poor start at Craven Cottage, having failed to track Ademola Lookman’s run for Fulham’s early goal. But, in keeping with this grittier, more emboldened footballer, Pogba did not allow those early errors to derail him.

How long it lasts is the question on the lips of United supporters, but this version of Pogba would be a boon to any club’s title hopes.