Time to cut their losses and send Pogba packing
His attitude was a major factor in Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United sacking.
Now Paul Pogba may have cost his team a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
I’ve said it before – the guy is more trouble than he’s worth.
And I think the smartest thing United could do is cut their losses and send him packing.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Pogba is capable of being a disruptive influence.
You can tell me what a terrific player he is, how he won the World Cup with France, and that he’s finally starting to come into his own at United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
I don’t care.
As far as I’m concerned, for the money the Reds spent on him – and the wages he earns – Pogba has been pretty average at Old Trafford. OK, he’s had some great performances. But he’s had some stinkers, too.
And that red card against Paris Saint-germain in midweek sums him up.
As United’s talisman, he should have been smart enough to see out the remaining seconds
You’re 2-0 down in the last minute of the first leg.
As Manchester United’s talisman, Pogba should have been smart enough to see out the remaining seconds.
His thoughts should have been turning to the second leg, to making sure United give a solid account of themselves in Paris, to getting his team through to the last eight.
Instead he makes an absolutely crazy challenge on Dani Alves and collects his second booking of the game.
The result is that he misses the second leg through suspension – leaving his team-mates in the trenches without him.
I wouldn’t have put up with it if I were his manager.
The guy would need to keep his shin pads on for the kind of rollocking I’d be dishing out, because, for the best part of £100 million, I’d expect better.
To be fair to Pogba, I’m told he was furious with himself afterwards.
He was caught battering his locker in the changing room, then apologised to his team-mates.
That’s the least I’d expect.
After all, this is Manchester United we’re talking about – a club where players are bred to take responsibility.
One of the men that helped to set the tone at Old Trafford – Eric Harrison – died this week.
As United’s head of youth development under Sir Alex Ferguson, he was the man responsible for bringing through the famous “Class of ’92”.
Sir Alex said of him: “He built character and determination in those young players and prepared them for the future.”
Sadly, I’m not convinced that kind of character is present in Pogba.
Clearly, the guy has talent.
You don’t get to where he is in football without it.
If he could match that talent consistently with hard work, he would probably be unstoppable.
I just don’t see that enough from him at Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho paid with his job for his relationship breakdown with Pogba.
Solskjaer’s softly, softly approach appeared to be working.
But all it takes is that single flash of hot-headedness and he’s off down a bad path again.
Maybe I’m wrong about Pogba. Maybe he’ll screw the nut and come good at Old Trafford. I hope he does.
But at the moment, the evidence is pretty thin on the ground.