Saturday, March 30, 2024

Paul Pogba linked with a return to Juventus

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According to Sky Sports, Italian giants and champions Juventus are interested in re-signing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba this summer. The report claims that the Frenchman’s agent Mino Raiola has made contact with the Turin club over a possible return to Italy.

Pogba made his name in four glittering campaigns with the Bianconeri after joining the Italian champions from Manchester United as a free agent in 2012. However, he returned to Manchester in the summer of 2016 for a then world-record fee of £89million.

Has not been an overwhelming success at United

It would be wrong to claim that Paul Pogba has been an overwhelming success at United. In fact, he has produced three highly inconsistent campaigns. The midfielder has enjoyed purple spells where he has looked like one of the best midfielders in the world.

However, he has also endured long periods where he has looked disinterested in playing for the shirt and disappeared from matches. His performances last season were a prime example. When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer first arrived as United boss, the Frenchman found form.

A few months later and he was struggling once again, almost anonymous in games. Jekyll and Hyde performances have summed up his time in Manchester. Pogba seems to split fans like no other player in the game.

Can he rediscover his top form on a consistent basis?

Pogba’s best form in club football no doubt came during his time at Juventus. We all know that he has immense talent and can be the sort of player who grabs a game by the scruff of the neck from midfield.

He has all the attributes to become one of the world’s top central midfielders. Yet, there is a sense of frustration from fans and probably his coaches, that he just cannot deliver brilliance on a regular enough basis.

A switch to Manchester United should have been enough to bring out the all-conquering Paul Pogba. It almost felt like the Frenchman was returning to his former club with a point to prove after then- United boss Sir Alex Ferguson allowed him to leave on a free, rather than give the game time he so craved.

Would a move back to Turin trigger the best of Paul Pogba? It is difficult to know. He is seemingly such a complex character judging by his performances on the field. It may be that Pogba finds more consistency as he matures as both a person and a player, only time will tell.

Juventus now the favourites to sign Pogba

There is no doubt about it, there is major interest in Paul Pogba this summer. If he is not happy at United, then it seems unlikely he will stay in Manchester. Back in April, the midfielder stated that playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid would be a dream come true.

Los Blancos are certainly high in the betting to be the Frenchman’s next destination. However, Juventus are now slight favourites to sign Pogba this summer at odds of 7/2. Staying at Manchester United is, of course, an option. However, the noises coming from the midfielder’s camp seem to suggest his future lies elsewhere.

Judging by his form over his United career, Pogba leaving may not be devastating to the Red Devils and their chances of progression in the future. United boss Solskjaer will no doubt have a big transfer kitty to work with this summer.

However, that transfer kitty is unlikely to be limitless. At some point, the Red Devils will need to balance the books and even comply with Financial Fair Play rules, as flawed as they may be. It would not be a massive surprise to see the midfielder leave United this summer.

Will Paul Pogba return to Juventus this summer?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Nugent


David is a freelance football writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about the beautiful game. The experienced writer has written for over a dozen websites and also an international soccer magazine offline.
Arguably his best work has come as an editorial writer for Soccernews, sharing his good, bad and ugly opinions on the world’s favourite sport. During David’s writing career he has written editorials, betting previews, match previews, banter, news and opinion pieces.

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