Why Pogba Is Kind Of A Big Deal

Features editor Steve Bartram blogs on Manchester United's high-profile capture of Paul Pogba...

There are certain individuals who are quickly identifiable as a true Manchester United player; the gifted grafters with a penchant for flair and a relentless drive. Paul Pogba is such a player.

It is commonplace for Academy staff at United – and all clubs, one imagines – to be probed by pesky in-house media for their thoughts on the club’s young prospects. It is remarkable, however, to hear those staff being any more than cautiously optimistic about the hopes of an individual. Experience has taught them about talents who burn bright, burn out and burn those who backed them.

With Pogba, however, they made an exception. Pressed for an opinion on the hopes of the young Frenchman in the summer of 2010, a vastly experienced member of the staff let his guard down, grinned from ear to ear and chuckled, with a shake of his head: “He might just have a chance, that one.”

Six years on, those words have proven prescient. He may have taken the scenic route, but Pogba is now a central figure in United's midfield – and the manner of his capture sends a resounding message to competitors. In a transfer window when shots are scattergunning around the Premier League, United just went nuclear.

It is easy to wonder what might have been, had the Frenchman remained at Old Trafford when offered a new contract in 2012, but what ifs are both boundless and useless. To pass up the chance to sign him again on a point of principle would have been foolhardy, and the inevitable debate over his value is redundant until held in retrospect.

The profile of the deal fits both parties. United is a club long associated with glitz and glamour, known as ‘Moneybags United’ by the FA over a century ago, bankrolled by benefactors and frequently setting spending records in the non-stop pursuit of glory. This is a club steeped in opulence and prone to dramatic, big-name transfers. Had grime existed in Billy Meredith's day, who knows how his shock capture from Manchester City might have been announced?

We've never been afraid to show off our shiny new signings. Bryan Robson signed his British record deal on the pitch at a packed Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney was thrown to biro-wielding supporters and Juan Mata arrived from the heavens via helicopter. All previous announcements have been put in the shade this week, however, by an all-singing, all-dancing unveiling featuring hashtags, dabbing and dry ice.

Coming at the end of what often felt like history's longest drumroll, the razzmatazz was both wonderfully executed and fully justified. This is the first time United have broken the world transfer record, and that is some statement of intent; one that shows this club is unhappy to jostle along in a division where the difference between top and bottom has narrowed dramatically in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

To break out from the pack, thoroughbreds like Pogba make the difference. Not since Ryan Giggs have United had a 23-year-old with four league titles to his name, and the Frenchman has also featured in the 2015 Champions League final, Euro 2016 final and been named the best young player of the 2014 World Cup. Factor in the eclectic education of working with midfielders Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, and there isn’t a youngster around with his pedigree or his wow factor.

For the money, United are getting a player who embodies all that this club about. A top-class talent who loves to get a little showy but never puts that ahead of hard yards. An all-round midfielder with ball-playing skills and a hefty dash of unpredictability, not to mention the tactical understanding inherent in spending four years with Serie A’s best team. Nicknamed La Pioche (‘The Pickaxe’), he has a knack of forcing his way through obstacles – and footage of his pre-season mixed martial arts training in New York showed the practical side to his training. He's ready for the physicality of English football.

Historically, many teams have been overcome in the tunnel at Old Trafford, looking over to see colossuses in both physical and mental senses. A sideways glance this season will yield glimpses of just such figures, with Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic reinforcing ranks which are now organised by the most charismatic manager in the country. United have more edge and presence than at any time in the last five years, since Ferguson's youthful squad overhaul of 2011.

Pogba could have been part of that revolution, but he and the club were out of step at a key time. No longer, however, and his assertion that he has been on holiday backs up the feeling that his second coming is more of a homecoming. He has remained in touch with several figures at the club over the last four years, including former youth-team colleagues, and he has never closed the door on a return to United when pressed, both publicly and privately. He is here because he wants to be here.

Ambition took him away and it has brought him back to where he belongs, to a club for big hearts, big ambitions and big statements. Make no mistake: this is kind of a big deal.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered as representative of Manchester United Football Club.

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