Becoming the world’s most expensive footballer is asking for trouble.
Paul Pogba didn’t ask Manchester United to pay nearly £90million to Juventus for him, but that’s exactly what happened, and it’s the player himself who has to live with the consequences.
The main consequence is this: there is a huge, almost unreasonable amount of pressure on the Frenchman to perform in every game, especially the big ones.
The midfielder may have played for United before, but he still needs time to re-adapt to English football.
That was all disregarded, though, when Manchester City arrived at Old Trafford on Saturday.
City, of course, won the game 2-1, with Pogba’s performance – or lack thereof – widely slated.
Jamie Carragher has now weighed into the debate, slamming Pogba for being “ill-disciplined” on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football showing between Sunderland and Everton.
“Jose Mourinho got it tactically wrong,” Carragher started.
“He wasn’t helped by the performance of his players – he subbed two at half-time – but specifically the performance of Paul Pogba.
“For a central midfielder in a game of that magnitude, I think for the first 40 minutes it was one of the most ill-disciplined performances you will see.
“The only way to describe it was like watching the best player in the schoolyard that runs where he wants and does what he wants.”
Harsh words indeed. Pogba might seem like an experienced player, though he is in fact still only 23.
“Five minutes into a Manchester derby, when you know the centre of the pitch is so important to stopping Man City, he finds himself in a left-wing role trying to receive the ball,” Carragher continued.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I felt so sorry for Fellaini. He was left on his own in the centre of the pitch and there was so much space [for Man City].”
The brilliant performances of City’s David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne perhaps made United’s midfield look even more fragile than it was, but even Pogba surely wouldn’t argue that he’d had a good game.
The key for Mourinho now is to harness these comments and mould Pogba into a more disciplined player, as most expensive player in the world or not, he can’t afford to be caught out like that again.
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