Paul Pogba has not reached his full potential for Manchester United since joining for a then world-record fee of in 2016 £89.3 million. His signing came as part of a proposed rebuild. Jose Mourinho was the new United manager, and Pogba joined alongside players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
These high-profile signings made for a surely great season on the red side of Manchester. Despite the initial promise, United won just five of their opening 14 games. Pogba may have had a promising first season, but his Manchester United career has been in decline almost entirely ever since, with an overload of rumours surrounding his potential Old Trafford exit.
Pogba had his best season in a United shirt last season. Recently, though, links to an exit have reignited.
Is Paul Pogba Likely to Leave Manchester United?
Pogba’s Return
When Pogba re-signed for United in 2016, there was much excitement surrounding his return. Not only was he the world’s most expensive footballer at the time, but he was going back to his boyhood club, who had let him go to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012.
Pogba was tremendous during his time at Juve, but with his move to United came a decline in form. One of the key factors of this was the weight of his price tag. While Pogba may not have been outstanding game in, game out, he was consistent. The Frenchman was one of United’s better players in a dismal debut season which saw them finish sixth.
Although he suffered an injury at the beginning of his second season in Manchester, Pogba once again starred as United finished second, only to a record-breaking Manchester City team in the 2017/18 season. The midfielder got 16 direct goal involvements in the league that season, which he bettered the following campaign. Pogba achieved 22 direct goal involvements in the Premier League’s 2017/18 season, however, he has not been as successful this campaign. The former Juventus player is currently on two direct goal involvements and has played just seven times in the league. His season has been injury-hit, but his return is expected imminently. This could help United better a so far poor season. While he performs well, there is still doubt surrounding his commitment to United, with rumours of a possible exit ongoing.
Potential Old Trafford Exit Rumored
Paul Pogba has been linked with a potential departure from Manchester since almost as soon as he arrived there.
The Frenchman seemed far from happy there, notably during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge, and this, among other things, attracted interest of some of Europe’s top clubs. Among these were Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The current La Liga leaders have been favourites for almost the whole time, and still remain in pole position to get the midfielder’s signature, should he choose to leave United.
With rumours having been constant since 2018, the newest batch have once again tipped him to leave in the summer. According to his agent, Pogba wants to stay at United and win trophies, however that is not how the media see it.
How Likely is His Departure?
The question has been on the lips of United fans since almost the day he joined. He has had an incredible amount of rumours swirling around him recently, however, nothing has come of it. Paul Pogba may leave Manchester United this summer, however, with rumours of this transfer having been extremely unreliable, only time will tell.
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