There will always be regrets at Manchester United that Paul Pogba never fulfilled his exciting potential at Old Trafford.
There was huge excitement when Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 to play under Jose Mourinho, but it never truly worked out for the French midfielder.
A world-record £89m deal was struck to bring Pogba back to Manchester four years after he had left as a free agent and signed for Juventus.
Where did it all go wrong for Paul Pogba at Manchester United?
Pogba showed glimpses of brilliance during his second stint at Old Trafford and, in hindsight, he was unfairly criticised for many of his performances in a struggling side.
He ended up leaving as a free agent again in 2022 after failing to live up to the high expectations.
Man United broke promise to Paul Pogba
Ravel Morrison was United’s best prospect during his academy days and was rated even higher than Pogba in the same line-up.
Morrison knows more than most about what it means to not reach your potential, but he feels things could have been very different for Pogba if promises were kept back in 2012.
Did Manchester United make a mistake signing Paul Pogba in 2016?
Speaking on FilthyFellas YouTube, Morrison said: “I think it was after we won the FA Youth Cup, a few of us got promised that we’re going to be involved with the first team a lot more.
“And it never really came. That’s the reason why Pogba left, because you’re playing players that are right back and left back in the midfield.
“For me, straight after the youth cup, I would have put Pogba in there. But you’re playing different players out of position and not giving other people a chance.”
Kobbie Mainoo could suffer same fate as Paul Pogba
Fast-forward to 2025 and Kobbie Mainoo is struggling for game time. Unlike Pogba, he made the breakthrough from the academy to the first team, but under Amorim he has fallen down the pecking order.
Morrison was asked about Kobbie Mainoo’s situation at Old Trafford, and he is clearly concerned that Mainoo is being overlooked the same as Pogba was.
“I think they’re taking the p***,” Morrison said.
“He’s a top player. I know you can’t really say it’s bad coming on just for a minute, but I don’t know if they brought him on to take the p*** for a minute because he should really be playing a lot more than that.”
Mainoo is currently injured but he continues to be linked with an exit in January. United overlooked Pogba and lost him as a free agent – Ineos must be wary of repeating that mistake.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/LtXMi69