Official: Pogba returns to Manchester United

As gigi said, Pogba needs complimentary players around him. Evra gave him all kinds of cover and was handy enough on the ball and passing to put Pogba in the right place at the right time. You could see them talk to each other in games.

A £100m player that can only play 1 specific position/role.

Struggle to think of a least adaptable player. Every top player should be able to play at least 2 positions at a reasonably high level.

Gil wrote:A £100m player that can only play 1 specific position/role.

Struggle to think of a least adaptable player. Every top player should be able to play at least 2 positions at a reasonably high level.

Think harder then. He has already played more than 1 role at Juve and succeeded.

How many roles did Pirlo or Xavi play? What roles does Hazard play? Cristiano? Does Busquets play a variety of roles? What about Iniesta?

I'm seeing more and more people talk about how the players around him made him look better. we are talking about a 130mil player here. can he not atleast shine in a average team as people are saying man u are. I'm seeing a lot of excuses tbh. he will improve with time but does anyone expect him to be a dominant world class CM player.

rincon wrote:

Gil wrote:A £100m player that can only play 1 specific position/role.

Struggle to think of a least adaptable player. Every top player should be able to play at least 2 positions at a reasonably high level.

Think harder then. He has already played more than 1 role at Juve and succeeded.

How many roles did Pirlo or Xavi play? What roles does Hazard play? Cristiano? Does Busquets play a variety of roles? What about Iniesta?

come on mate. he is a CM player he should be able to perform in changes in systems. I understand he will play better in his favorite position but he is not being played at full back of centre forwad is he.

Unique wrote:

rincon wrote:

Gil wrote:A £100m player that can only play 1 specific position/role.

Struggle to think of a least adaptable player. Every top player should be able to play at least 2 positions at a reasonably high level.

Think harder then. He has already played more than 1 role at Juve and succeeded.

How many roles did Pirlo or Xavi play? What roles does Hazard play? Cristiano? Does Busquets play a variety of roles? What about Iniesta?

come on mate. he is a CM player he should be able to perform in changes in systems. I understand he will play better in his favorite position but he is not being played at full back of centre forwad is he.

Play Iniesta in the back then and see what happens. Have him as the holding mid and Busquets as the more advanced one. I'm sure that will be an instant hit. And again, he has played 2 distinct roles for Juve and more than succeeded at both. Everyone was saying how crap Kroos was as the deep lying midfielder from Madrid, put him back in front with Casemiro at the back and now he is a god again. Never mind the fact that he is just 23. Was Di Maria a scrub because he flopped with Van Gaal playing him around the pitch?

These are just kneejerk reactions. Wait to judge.

the reactions are kneejerk....BUT, when you sign a player for 120 million, it's expected. you don't sign midfielders for that price, and when you do sign strikers in and around that price range, a goal a game ratio isn't going to cut it. its why anytime we discuss price tags on here, and people say things like "its not your money, so it doesn't matter" i always disagree. you sign a player for 9 figures and some change, the last thing the directors want to hear is that he needs other players around him....even if that's true

he's a good player, the season has barely even begun, we haven't even gotten into October. players have had good beginnings and gone on to look not so good, players have had slow starts and gone on to become good. the last thing he needs is the media on his neck forcing him to justify his tag....but, once again, when you sign someone for that amount, you can't act surprised when the media scrutinizes every second that the player spends on or off the pitch

titosantill wrote:the reactions are kneejerk....BUT, when you sign a player for 120 million, it's expected. you don't sign midfielders for that price, and when you do sign strikers in and around that price range, a goal a game ratio isn't going to cut it. its why anytime we discuss price tags on here, and people say things like "its not your money, so it doesn't matter" i always disagree. you sign a player for 9 figures and some change, the last thing the directors want to hear is that he needs other players around him....even if that's true

he's a good player, the season has barely even begun, we haven't even gotten into October. players have had good beginnings and gone on to look not so good, players have had slow starts and gone on to become good. the last thing he needs is the media on his neck forcing him to justify his tag....but, once again, when you sign someone for that amount, you can't act surprised when the media scrutinizes every second that the player spends on or off the pitch

hole in one with that post

Pogba is simply not worth €120 million with a €13M net wage. He will never live up to that because he can't. That kind of money should only be paid to a striker. Someone that scores goals. Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, even Bale. But a central midfielder?

But hey Mourinho wanted him bad so he got him. And Juve did a good piece of business. Yes they spent €90 million on Higuain but if he scores 30 goals this year and does well in the CL then it will be justified. The funny part though is Mourinho wanted him so badly and paid a record fee yet insists on playing him out of position. I think the "Special One" isn't quite that special anymore. I think he has lost his marbles really.

Hasn't been special since the treble.

Damn, Mourinho has become nothing but a caricature of himself since his last year with Real. Nowadays he relies more on bus parking skills than any actual strategy. Woodward gave him whoever he wanted yet United still can't manage to perform with consistency.

And look at what will happen when crap hits the fan at United: referees are incompetent... star players are heartless... the whole world is against him...

Same shit different day for The Obsolete One

Spoiler:

It's really way too early to start drawing up conclusions. Like, honestly, I'm the furthest thing from being a Mourinho (or Pogba fan for that matter) but the season has literally just begun, and you guys are already dropping the gavel on them?

Remember two seasons ago when Carlo's Real Madrid was smashing everybody left and right in the first half of the season while Enrique's Barça was quietly plodding in the background? How did that all end? Right, with Madrid ending up trophyless and Barça bagging the treble.

Whoever is rising right now could fall later, while those who are struggling right now could steady the ship and blow everybody out of the water later.

Give them time, then judge them.

Not to mention... new coach, new league, different teammates, probably trying too hard to justify himself.

Same thing happened early on last season when Juve gave him the number 10 and he was trying to be Messi out there.

He figured it out in November sometime and then took off.

Euro causing him to miss all of preseason didn't help.

Pogba needs freedom to express his talents...
Mourinho likes a disciplined / rigid squad to "control" the game...

How was Pogba in today's disgraceful defeat?

looked like a passenger

Luxury player, the sort of guy you bring in when your other 10 positions are more or less set.


Might as well spend 20M on a high energy b2b mid and get better results.

Got utterly bullied by Watford's midfield, comprised of Behrami and Capoue, two players whose combined transfer fees are 1/12th of what United paid for Pogba

I always said I'd rather buy Matuidi and James for that kinda money cause they would have more of an impact.

Pogba - Fellaini pivot..how do these managers get given millions to make these choices? every pleb on GL would tell you that ain't ever gonna work out for a double cheeseburger ffs.

Can only congratulate Juve for a great piece of business

Probably spends more on his haircuts than Watford spent on his opposite number.

Firenze wrote:I always said I'd rather buy Matuidi and James for that kinda money cause they would have more of an impact.

Pogba - Fellaini pivot..how do these managers get given millions to make these choices? every pleb on GL would tell you that ain't ever gonna work out for a double cheeseburger ffs.

It actually angers me how so called top level 'Pro's' who make Millions partly for decisions like these can ever EVER *bleep* it up so badly. When even the worst of armchair fans can see it's a bad idea beforehand.

Gil wrote:A £100m player that can only play 1 specific position/role.

Struggle to think of a least adaptable player. Every top player should be able to play at least 2 positions at a reasonably high level.

It's not really about that, he's just a player who needs freedom to express himself. Playing CM in a midfield 2 is fine in theory, both Modric and Yaya among others have done it but those players are/were given freedom to express themselves in possession.

Pogba isn't and that's where the issue lies.

Scholes want United to go spend 200m on Modric. that might help Pogba

Meanwhile, Looney is STILL getting game time I'd love to know what marker he has over the United board and owners to constantly start games, even when he's played like kak the last half decade or so

Fully flopped today. Watford was better at everything.