Sport
United need to cut ties with Pogba and his agent
Manchester United’s plight over the last seven years can be characterised in a number of different ways, the most obvious being the lack of Premier League titles in that time. Their relationship with Paul Pogba, and the numerous complexities that come with it, is another. At their very best, United would not have stood for the fanfare and noise which surrounds the Frenchman. The latest example of this came last week in the form of an interview given by the agent of Pogba, Mino Raiola, to the Italian media.
Raoila stated, not for the first time, that Pogba may need to leave Old Trafford and end what has turned into an unhappy and sour second spell at the club. Sir Alex Ferguson attempted to cut his losses with both player and agent in 2012, when an 18-year-old Pogba moved to Juventus. He was liable to send any troublesome characters on their way — Pogba had been extremely vocal about his first team opportunities despite his age — as David Beckham, Paul Ince and Ruud van Nistelrooy will attest.
Ever since Pogba returned four years later, having grown from precociously talented boy into a powerful, skilful and mentally strong man after a successful stint in Turin, that noise hasn’t stopped. He is vocal, Raiola even more so, and having been bought specifically with the aim of firing the Red Devils back to the levels of the Ferguson dynasty, which yielded 13 league titles, there are frustrations growing on both sides that they can’t seem to break out of the purgatory the former manager’s retirement in 2013 put them in. Pogba appears to have run out of waiting time.
He isn’t a kid anymore; his voice cannot be tossed aside as easily as it was before. But the key difference between now and the height of Ferguson’s reign is that status wouldn’t matter. He would have been long gone, given the circus that has followed him since his world-record transfer back in 2016. Fans will say he has only performed to his optimum level a handful of times; there is a growing feeling that the superstar persona, part of his wider brand, is not worth the hassle he has become. For a long time, it was said that a fully fit, focussed and firing Pogba was the key to making the club a force again and that they should massage his ego to coax the best from him. The form of Bruno Fernandes since his January arrival has proven that is no longer the case.
There was a point last season when the talk surrounding the player was so loud that it almost became a fact that he would be leaving; his destination was the only debate. Real Madrid have long been admirers, and Pogba has certainly fluttered his eyelashes in their direction on is fair share of occasions, while his former club Juventus are never too far away from the conversation either. Were it not for the coronavirus pandemic, he probably would have left by now; his contract expires in 18 months and there appears to be no appetite for renewal from either party.
With that in mind, the long goodbye could well be underway. It won’t be pleasant, either. His entire second stint at the place he called ‘home’ upon his return has been marred by these sagas. There have frequently been comments in the media or on social media leaving the manager, whether Jose Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to pick up the pieces. Manchester United’s current incumbent has been much more diplomatic than his predecessor, whom it was well documented didn’t take too well to Pogba. In truth, a relationship which has been framed as a love story has more often seemed like an unhealthy, unhappy marriage.
Pogba took to Instagram over the weekend to once again accuse the media of lying and peddling ‘fake news’ and his agent, Raiola, joined in. While they may have had a point about the stories in question, which included a loan move being lined up and the notion that Pogba would sack Raiola if he wasn’t able to get him out of Manchester, it is difficult to have sympathy for either, given that the story was generated from within their camp.
Not everything that has gone wrong for Pogba back in England is his fault. His club have hardly acted in the right way in order to reassert themselves; their manager is there to be questioned, signings have been subpar and the general forethought and direction from the top has been nonexistent for far too long. As the most high profile player in the team, Pogba is there to be shot at; his every move is scrutinised. The good performances are acknowledged in passing, but each bad one appears to be analysed deeply by pundits who are keen to point out how problematic he is, even if he hasn’t actually played.
There doesn’t seem any way back for Pogba at Manchester United, but that has been said before. He has never really settled, always wanting something more from the bright lights of Europe. This latest episode is more likely to be the start of something than the end, and Raiola will be there every step of the way, undoubtedly twisting the knife in order to gain an advantage. His war of words with Solskjaer had drifted off into football’s subconscious, but could yet be revisited in the coming weeks.
Paul Pogba’s quality can never be doubted. He showed it in Italy, for France, winning a World Cup, and intermittently at Manchester United. Enough is enough, though, continuation of this relationship is not beneficial, regardless of his ability; Pogba, Manchester United and his agent should part ways as quickly and amicably as possible. Yet, it could drag on, and the more it does, the uglier it could get.
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