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Man Utd's biggest mistake? Why 'reject' Paul Pogba is Europe's most wanted man

By Will Gray

He and his young French team-mates may have missed a golden opportunity in Brazil, but at just 21 years old, Manchester United reject Paul Pogba now has the world at his feet.

Pogba’s self-admitted “nonchalant, play easy” approach is often seen as petulant and arrogant. His affrontive attitude upset his first club, Le Harve, and then saw him fall out of favour with Sir Alex Ferguson, despite his clear natural talent.

He left United for Juventus under a cloud in June 2012 but now, just two years later, he is France’s golden boy and has several suitors for a potential return to the Premier League.

His resurrection is down to simple dedication.

Born to Guinean parents, he grew up in the Paris suburbs with his twin brothers. His parents divorced early, but his father was determined to control his children’s football future, to nurture their talent into a good livelihood.

Pogba’s impeccable work ethic made him stand out, regularly staying behind at training to achieve or improve on a task he had previously failed.

He developed an on-field tenacity that has earned him the nickname ‘La Pioche’ (The Pickaxe) and is a fearless player who backs himself permanently and unreservedly.

More often than not, he’s right.

Strong with both feet, with a fierce long-range shot and good passing skills, he has an ability to drill holes in defences and close down spaces. He may not yet have the same vision or range of passing as an absolute world-class player, but he is strong, quick and has an excellent baseline from which to build.

UNITED'S LOSS

 

“He is one of those players who leaves you speechless,” Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon told Italian TV when Pogba arrived. “After only three or four training sessions we were impressed. My team-mates looked at each other, as if to say: ‘Are they blind in Manchester?’ ”

United were not blind, however. They were keen to keep Pogba - Ferguson even asked Rio Ferdinand to get inside Pogba’s head to convince him to stay – but failed to convince him.

He was impatient to play, yet had to bide his time. He saw United’s midfield decimated by injury in his final season and waited for his chance but didn't start a single game.

When Juventus offered him £700,000 per year, he bit their hand off – and it was perhaps the best move he ever made.

Where Pogba’s attitude had rubbed his previous managers up the wrong way, for Juventus boss Antonio Conte it was a demonstration of ambition.

And in a side blessed with talent like Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, he was humbled.

“I’m still a nobody; what have I achieved in my career,” he was quoted as saying. “I look around at Juve and I’m learning from true champions. I try and take on Claudio’s technique, or Arturo’s aggression, or the brilliant passing abilities of Andrea.”

FUTURE SUPERSTAR

 

He was awarded Tuttosport's ‘Golden Boy’ trophy for the best Under-21 footballer in Europe in 2013, and having already captained France at four different age groups, he is now a regular at the top tier.

He has collected 16 caps in as many months, maturing quickly since he was sent off in only his second international for picking up two yellow cars in two minutes.

“Paul has huge potential,” said Deschamps. “I trust him, and he knows that. He is capable of doing very good things."

After winning three games, scoring 10 goals and conceding just two in Brazil, France bowed out with a performance against Germany that lacked a little self-belief.

Few had expected them to achieve what they did, however, and many now see them as a side to fear in the future.

For Pogba, it was a performance on the world stage that backed up his already strong reputation.

"The word 'mistake' is not something you would normally associate with Alex Ferguson's time at Manchester United but I do think it was a mistake letting Paul Pogba leave,” said Zinedine Zidane. “He will go on to be one of the best central midfield players in Europe.”

Even United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward admitted: "It’s frustrating to see Pogba doing so well at Juventus and not Old Trafford.”

It will be even more frustrating for him, though, if Pogba ends up back in the Premier League playing for a rival club...