Just How Good Is Paul Pogba?

How good is Paul Pogba? It’s an interesting question that I believe answers itself based on his recent performances for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. 

He brings something else to the field that nobody else has. The way he picks up the ball and effortlessly glides down the field before creating a chance somehow or another makes him almost certainly one of the worlds best midfielders at the moment.

You quite often hear the term, Jack of all trades but master of none however Pogba is Jack of all trades and master of almost everything on the football field. 

To me he is what one may call, a complete player. He’s got everything from a 50 yard dribble through an entire team to a defence splitting through ball to one of United’s attackers. 

His play style isn’t just easy on the eye but it’s also backed up by the stats that go with it. It the Premier league, United have won every game bar a 2-2 draw at Stoke with Pogba in the side. Without him, they lost to Chelsea and Huddersfield while also recording a dire 0-0 draw on the banks of the Mersey in October. 

Scoring at will with Pogba in the team has also been a key difference with and without him. With him, 21 goals in seven matches have been scored while only eleven were scored in the seven matches without him. 

An interesting problem for United is, when he gets injured, who comes in. While Ander Herrera won United’s fans player of the season last year, he has nowhere near the ability and creativity that Pogba brings and the same goes for Marouanne Fellaini. 

So with the options not available within the United squad itself, the obvious option is to turn to the transfer market. But who? It’s very hard to think of a realistic target for any club especially Mourinho’s Untied that can replace Pogba. 

Manchester Untied currently sit eight points behind the juggernaut of Manchester City on the other side of Manchester. If Untied are to catch City, the Pogba is going to be arguable the spark for the Red Devil’s and with an away trip to Arsenal on the horizon as well as a visit from their noisy neighbours next week, they are certainly in for a tough week. 

Jack Antoniou

Whitgift School