The World Cup winner is back in his homeland after a testing few weeks amid renewed links with Barcelona and Luis Suarez making overtures
It’s been less than two months since Paul Pogba led France to their second World Cup title and this week the midfielder returned to the tranquil surroundings of Clairefontaine.
France draw Germany in their first-ever UEFA Nations League match on Thursday with 22 of Didier Deschamps’ title-winning 23 reporting for duty.
The perception of Pogba in France at the moment could scarcely be any different to the one in England, where he has become a lightning rod for Manchester United’s ills. His performance – and penalty miss - last weekend against Burnley was ridiculed even though United ended up winning the game comfortably.
That criticism is added to the pile that has plagued Pogba since returning from the World Cup. Displays against Brighton and Tottenham were heavily scrutinised, and totally at odds with the praise Pogba was winning during the summer.
“Paul Pogba plays for himself, it's all about how cool he looks, showing us how clever he is," Graeme Souness wrote in The Sunday Times. "I reckon Pogba's only in the team to maintain his transfer value until United can sell him, because he doesn't merit his place for any other reason."
It comes on the back of a tough few weeks for Pogba, whose struggles under United manager Jose Mourinho have been well documented.
Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has come into conflict with United great Paul Scholes over his player's status in the United squad and there is a perception that fan sentiment has turned towards Mourinho in any battle involving the two.
So, this week’s international break might well have come at the right time for the 25-year-old, who will have time to recharge and be given a reminder of his capabilities.
France team-mate and good friend Antoine Griezmann revealed to the press this week that he was surprised by the level to which Pogba adopted that leadership role in Russia during the World Cup.
“Paul really took it up a notch in the locker room,” Griezmann told L'Equipe. “He had the right words which pushed us. Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane and Blaise Matuidi, we know they were leaders, but Pogba surprised us more and made us feel good.”
It was the tournament in which Pogba became a man and demonstrated – as if it needed to be said – that he was capable of running a midfield in a top-quality team and making positive contributions.
And adding to the sense of maturity, Pogba himself has been vocal this week about the need for France’s world champions to consider themselves as role models for the next generation in light of Hugo Lloris’s drink-driving arrest.
"After this World Cup, children will have the image we had at the 1998 World Cup,” he told RMC Sport.
“We'll be role models for these children. That's why you have to lead by example. Even if you don't want to, you have to lead by example."
Winning trophies is something Pogba has become accustomed to with France - but also in his club career with Juventus and even at Manchester United.
He won four Serie A titles in succession before returning home. The gold has flowed at Old Trafford as well but there is a notable distinction between the kind of titles Pogba was winning for Juventus and the ones he’s got his hands on at Manchester United.
He wasn’t signed as the world’s most expensive player to win only the EFL Cup and the Europa League. Pogba – now a world champion and a flagship player for his club – must be setting his sights a little higher.
In the past few days it’s been interesting in that respect to note the overtures coming from Barcelona towards Pogba in the press.
First it was Gerard Pique and now Luis Suarez has followed suit. The striker - who moved to Barcelona and won the Champions League in his first season – pointed out that Pogba would now want more trophies to capitalise on his World Cup win. The implication was that he could get them with Barcelona.
“Pogba is an elite player – he has won everything,” Suarez told RAC1. “He has a lot of quality and he is a key player for United.
“I think he would like to be competing for more [silverware] than he is at the moment. He may not be a Barca player yet, but he would always be welcome.”
There has been speculation that Pogba’s position at United under Mourinho led him and Raiola to consider a move to Barca over the summer. And it follows a familiar pattern when Barca's star players start talking up potential transfer targets in the media.
How close Pogba can get to matching his international honours at club level will depend largely on how quickly Mourinho sorts out United. They are already two defeats down in this Premier League season with Pogba himself shouldering the brunt of the blame. Right now, it’s unlikely that United have anything like the consistency or the quality to match the output of Manchester City in the league and any one of about five or six leading teams competing for the Champions League.
Now that he’s out of the eye of the storm Pogba has time again to consider his status as world champion and how that compares to the treatment he’s getting in his day job.
L10NELMESSI
95
gaopeiost
69
The problem with this Manchester team is that it is really slow. Every player has to spend a little while with the ball and then pass. No problem if it was only Pogba or two more players. But seems like a slow team overall.
Bisdeikoy
45
The problem with United is the team is really not having the calibre of players other big clubs has so Pogba's off day on the pitch is over noted n that's affecting him I tell u he had an off day against Burnley n for some reason the team played really well so it wasn't felt as much. dats Wat he wants. It will b interesting Wat the January window n summer window brings in. bc now players can register for two champion league teams a season so it will b really interesting. If the right are brought in during these windows it will b cool for him. n I don't really see him leaving there's a lot in Manchester for him. He will b Uniteds captain in the next two years for sure but in barca that's miles away. He's the only real voice n the United dressing room now. I'm not sure he will go
watman
44
pogba has still not understood how mourinho's bus functions.
bett1k
32
this man Pogba huh.....I think I FIGURED out how MOURINHO should get the best out of him....when I see Pogba play he reminds me of SCHOLES with his passing range he has it people and I can see it working with the type of wingers we have ..so JOSE nids to give him more responsibility by playing him at CM alone..kinda like SCHOLES... difference is SCHOLES had Fletcher and Carrick in front of him who were good passers too and could fall back.. that way he can view the whole field and get his passing on...Jose nids to figure out those 2other midfielders and u will see a difference in Pogba ...and I think we might just have them line up like this ...JOSE IF U EVER READ THIS PLEASE TRY THIS PLAYERS ON A REGULAR 😂😂😂
unyiarch
20
Pogba may be taking the blame for United poor performance, but the entire team at the moment is not good enough to be a Man United team that we use to know. At the defense, everyone is below average and the attack is very inconsistent. For me, I only see to players who are worthy to be called United player- Pogba and Lukaku- but the weakness of the squad is affecting their output. Sanchez is now a Shadow of himself and the coach is clueless on how to turn things around. I wish United hierarchy can see the big picture and bring in a manager that can build a team to get the best out of it and not the one that criticises. Before Sir Alex left as a coach, his team was weak but he managed to win trophy with it because he could build confidence in those players. At the moment the coach is a problem not the players. Because other "minor 14" clubs are trying to harness their resources to compete without blaming the players.