Pogba Comes Full Circle

Paul Pogba is set to face Stoke this Sunday, four-and-a-half years after making his Premier League debut for Manchester United against the Potters as a teenager...

When it comes to Premier League opponents, Stoke are as familiar as it gets for Paul Pogba so far. It was against the Potters that Pogba made his league debut for Manchester United as an 18-year-old in 2012, replacing Javier Hernandez as a 72nd-minute substitute.

Sir Alex Ferguson said afterwards that Pogba was a "great talent with tremendous physique", but just a few months later he left Old Trafford to join Juventus.

Ahead of Man Utd v Stoke on Sunday, we look at what happened on Pogba's debut, who he played alongside and what happened next...

The situation

Having progressed through the United academy, it was in the 2011/12 season that Pogba was promoted to the senior team for the first time, making his debut in a League Cup match in September against Leeds.

He would play twice more in the competition before his league debut against Stoke.

United were, on the day, beset by injuries. They were without 11 players, including Wayne Rooney, and third-choice keeper Ben Amos made his Premier League debut.

But they were very much in the title race, three points behind Manchester City with 22 games played. They would draw level by the end of night as City were beaten by Everton and penalties from Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov gave United a 2-0 victory over Stoke.

It was Hernandez who Pogba replaced in the 72rd minute…

Pogba's performance

Was it nervous energy, excitement or the cold? Perhaps it was a combination of all three that had Pogba jiggling around on the sideline, rubbing his gloves together as he waited for Hernandez to make way.

Whatever the cause, the 18-year-old showed few signs of nerves on the pitch in a bright cameo display.

Playing in the middle of the pitch, he looked composed as he sent passes round the corner, laid off for team-mates and slid into tackles. He also drifted out to the right on several occasions and put some testing crosses into the six-yard box.

The highlight perhaps was when he bamboozled both Dean Whitehead and Andy Wilkinson with a clever turn after the ball was played into his feet. His technique, presence and athleticism made him stand out.

Some fans said the 18-minute cameo was the best debut showing since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003/04. Even Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed.

"Pogba did very well," said Ferguson. "The boy has great talent and tremendous physique for an 18-year-old. You can't believe it.

"We are negotiating his contract at the moment. It is a bit complicated because he has changed his agent a couple of times.

"But the boy wants to stay, that is obvious. Hopefully, we can get it done soon."

What happened next?

Despite Ferguson's declaration that Pogba wanted to stay, he would in fact leave for Juventus that summer when his contract expired.

He would get three more opportunities in the first team before departing, playing against West Brom, Athletic Bilbao and Wolves, all in March.

Pogba later said he didn't sign a contract because he didn't play enough, "even though there were no midfielders there".

"When I saw (Paul) Scholes come back part of me was really happy as he's a legend, but I knew it was the end for me," he added, referring to Scholes coming out of retirement in January.

Scholes later said that Pogba did not play well to deserve a regular place in the team, even though "we all knew there was a very good player in the making".

His team-mates

Pogba would not be the only player in the matchday squad against Stoke to leave that summer.

Park Ji-Sung and Dimitar Berbatov would both depart Old Trafford while Amos is yet to make another Premier League appearance despite Ferguson saying he showed "great potential".

Some, like Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick remain at the club, and others, like Ryan Giggs, Scholes and Rio Ferdinand, were in the twilight of their careers.

Among those who started on the bench with Pogba were brothers Fabio and Rafael as well as Will Keane, now at Hull, and Danny Welbeck.

Four Serie A titles later, and with the tag of the world's most expensive player, Pogba is back to face Stoke again. Although probably not on the bench this time...

Credit: Skysports.com