Why did Paul Pogba quit Manchester United? Will he regret it?
By the end of the 2010/11 season, Paul Pogba had become a FA Youth Cup winner and was seen as one of the brightest prospects on the globe.
So one year on, the question that remains is why has he now signed for Juventus rather than staying at the club where he was set to flourish.
Fundamentally, there are two possibilities as to the motive for his transfer: Footballing reasons and the financial package offered.
From a footballing perspective it is easy to understand Pogba’s frustration with his situation at Manchester United. Both the manager and the coaching staff had singled him out as a potential star.
So when Manchester United had midfield struggles early in the season many would have expected a chance in the starting eleven, but this did not occur to the extent that most would have expected.
Instead, Paul Scholes was brought back out of retirement and installed immediately in the first team side ahead of Pogba. If first team football was his motivation, then this most probably would have been the last straw for him.
Having said that, when he was given the chance he looked a little bit raw, therefore justifying Sir Alex’s decision to leave him out of the team. This should not distract from the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson giving him a place in the first team squad was a fantastic achievement and was a testament to his incredible talent.
Unfortunately, by December (prior even to the return of Paul Scholes) it seemed as if Pogba’s head had been turned. Contract negotiations, that had been rumbling on since the start of the season, seemed to be making little progress as United were refusing to cave in to his wage demands.
Sir Alex had even taken to criticising Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola stating that he had “become a bit difficult” and yet he still wanted Pogba to stay.
The problem that remained is that the two parties were still a considerable distance apart. United refused to cave in to the youngster’s demands, while at the same time trying to persuade him that his development would be best achieved with Manchester United.
Juventus, on the other hand, presented an offer which had met his financial demands reported to be in the region of £15,000 to £20,000).
While players leaving for more money is nothing new (if you are not aware of this phenomenon, tune in to the annual event at the Emirates where a player moves to the Eastlands for an extra 0 at the end of their pay cheque) but in Paul Pogba’s case it seems like an incredibly short term view.
The opportunity for Pogba in the first team seems to be miniscule at best. Before the transfer window begun Juventus were already well stacked in the central midfield area with Vidal, Melo, Marchisio, Marrone and one of the stars of Euro 2012, Andrea Pirlo.
To this they added Kwadko Asamoah, Sebastien Giovinco and Mauricio Isla, who had an impressive season for Udinese as a central midfielder. If we then consider that they are also chasing Pescara’s Marco Verratti, who they rate very highly, it seems that Pogba’s best chance at first team football in the coming years will be on loan.
Therefore, his opportunity to increase his salary in the next few years seems extremely limited, and it may be that he has to wait until the end of his current deal until this is reviewed.
The argument that Ferguson would have presented to Pogba as a reason to stay would be that while he would earn less now, the development he would realise at United through first team opportunities at United would mean he would soon be rewarded for it through considerably greater future earnings.
So the logic suggests that the only reason Pogba has left is for money and that is fair enough. Had he backed his talent enough to succeed, his best opportunity to develop would have been at Manchester United.
This is not to say that it will not happen at Juventus, he is clearly talented enough such that two of the top teams in the world were tussling over him, but it seems he has played the safe hand, choosing the higher wage now in case his potential ability is never realised.
For the sake of the greater good of football though, I hope that Pogba does not become the victim of his decision to chose more money now rather than take a risk on potential future earnings.
Did Pogba make the right or wrong move? Did he chase the money?
image: © Paolo Camera
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