Paul Pogba rejoined Manchester United for £89 million in the summer of 2016, with a world transfer record smashed in the process. Six years on and he has, for the second time in his career, walked away from Old Trafford for nothing after reaching the end of a contract.
Pogba appears to like nothing more than allowing history to repeat itself has, with various options open to him, opted to retrace professional steps once again by returning to Italian giants Juventus.
Questions, many of them uncomfortable, will follow him to Turin, with the general consensus being that a man with a World Cup winners’ medal is yet to fulfill his undoubted potential. Familiar surroundings may help to silence a few of those critics as he heads back to the club that made him a global superstar.
Big Things On The Horizon?
Juventus are currently priced at odds of +180 for Serie A title glory in 2022-23. Anybody fancying them to restore domestic dominance can take advantage of a new customer offer that delivers £30 in free bets to those seeking to find value in a wide-ranging sportsbook. However, it’s certainly worth considering the trials and tribulations the club is currently facing. The Bianconeri have, like Pogba, found the going tougher than expected of late, with former glories proving difficult to replicate. Ability is there, it just needs to be unlocked. With the right blend of attitude and application, anything is possible.
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 11, 2022
One of the most recognizable soccer stars on the planet certainly has plenty to prove as he prepares to open another new chapter in a career that has tended to veer wildly between the sublime and the ridiculous.
Parting shot
Pogba provided little return on a considerable show of faith and funds from Premier League heavyweights during a frustrating spell in England, with it remarkable to think that he was allowed to depart as a free agent after costing Manchester United so much in so many ways.
There had, however, come to a point where a severing of ties was clearly the best decision for all concerned. A calculated gamble had been taken, and it had not paid off. When that happens, it is wise to move on.
Pogba, though, is eager to leave those being left behind at the Theater of Dreams ruing their reluctance to prolong a partnership that promised to deliver so much more. The mercurial French midfielder has said: “My thought process is to show Manchester that they made a mistake in waiting to give me a contract. And to show other clubs that Manchester had made a mistake in not offering me a contract.”
;Paul Pogba's time at Manchester United has come to an end ???????? pic.twitter.com/1yNp4Wmlt6
— GOAL (@goal) June 1, 2022
That is a bold statement from a performer that struggled to convince many of his worth across 226 appearances for the Red Devils. He had ample time in which to make an offer of fresh terms inevitable, with United happy to dig deep again in order to keep him on their books. The fact that they were reluctant to do that tells its own story.
Pogba may yet go on to prove any detractors in Manchester wrong, with the considerable success enjoyed at Juventus the first time around, but for now, the jury remains very much out on whether mistakes have been made by the player or club.