Yes, PogBACK looks to be on the cards, again, and again IYKWIM.
The ex-Red posted some cryptic messages on his Instagram story that caused many to go into a bit of a meltdown after seeing those images.
One was of him with a city in the background saying 'Let's see what's coming...'
That was before he posted something that suggested a return to United was a possibility:
As you can see, it's Pogba in a United kit of 17/18 or 18/19 next to Amad in this season's kit. There's also a laughing emoji in there as well.
What this all means could be much ado about nothing. Maybe Paul just found the animations of him and Amad a little funny. Maybe he thought that it's funny that someone would like to see him back at Old Trafford.
Or maybe he is hinting at a possible return?
I don't know what exactly he's going for with these stories. As he is a free agent and able to move wherever he will, anything is possible but for me, this potential move is an absolute NO.
This isn't because I don't like or rate Pogba. He is actually a player that I did like whilst he was at United but also a player that I found very frustrating because of how inconsistent he was as the footballing ability he possesses is awesome.
I believe his attributes is one of the complete footballer: tall and good in the air, quite strong, very skillful for a guy his size, much quicker than you think, has an unbelievable passing range (short, long, over the top, through the lines, left-foot, right-foot, it doesn't matter), creates goals and scores many different types.
He once had 4 assists in one game (Leeds 21/22) and who can forget *that* performance against City in 17/18?
So with Pogba, it was never a quality issue but more things off the field that's why I had a problem with him and why he never reached his full potential at United or as a footballer.
Injuries, what appeared to be a bit of an untrustworthy attitude and the 'circus' (as it was dubbed) that he carried due to all his baggage meant that it didn't go quite to plan at Old Trafford. These things really restricted him in terms of reaching those heights many thought was possible for a player like Paul.
The term 'player power' came about during his second stint at the club even though he may not have been the creator nor one of it's biggest members but there was certainly something that was not right with him in the dressing room.
This player power is something that I believe seems to be going away especially under Amorim although I think a part of it was being resolved under Erik ten Hag. Amorim's destruction of Rashford with those comments post the Fulham win is something that I believe that should Pogba come back to United, we'll see such comments from the manager again not long into Pogba's third spell at the club, if the manager selects him at all. That is something else to take into account.
Pogba's laidback and casual approach may not be something that Amorim would like to see at United as he repeatedly says how players have to work hard, give everything and show the right temperament in training and in games. Those aren't things we always got from Paul as he was quite inconsistent.
I don't doubt that he could easily slot into our midfield. With his abilities, Pogba would definitely improve us. The fact that the only truly consistently performing midfielder we have at the moment being Ugarte means that it would not be difficult for him to replace someone in the team.
Mainoo has been very off it this season, Bruno is hit and miss, Eriksen doesn't play much, Casemiro doesn't play at all and Collyer is just a youngster. I also believe that Pogba and Ugarte could work well together as that balance will be pretty good.
But I think with the now 31-year-old, he is the best example of the 'on his day' player. On his day, Pogba was unplayable. With all those attributes he has, when he was on it, boy was he on it.
But with his inconsistencies, poor attitude and injuries, on his day occurred not often enough.
With his age, baggage, attitude, inconsistencies and potential to disrupt the dressing room, this deal makes no sense. Pogba would also cost a lot of money in terms of wages considering his profile despite being a free agent.
The fact that he was banned for 18 months (originally four years) after testing positive for a banned substance in August of 2023, that is something else to consider in this potential move.
I don't think we can risk bringing a player like him back to the club for a THIRD time.
And btw, what a stupid career that is, with all due respect. Yes they're two great clubs but to go from United to Juventus to United to Juventus to United is not ideal.
I wouldn't go for this. Would you?
Background Image: Paul Pogba and Ruben Amorim at Man Utd | Image generated via Grok on X