5 things… Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria have in common
Price tag pressure
No matter how good you are at playing football - and Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria are both really good at it - those tricks and flicks get a little bit more difficult when you have an unwieldy (some might say inflated) price tag balanced atop your head. Di Maria, Manchester United’s former record signing, found that his got heavier with each misplaced pass, until eventually he could barely move beneath its £59.7m weight. Pogba, United’s new £89m man, currently appears to be playing with a similar lack of freedom. Despite the Red Devils achieving a satisfactory point at Liverpool on Monday night, his peripheral status in the match has prompted far greater scrutiny than if he’d been signed for free. (Actually United did sign him for free once, but that was in 2009.)
Flashes of early brilliance
It seems a long time ago now, but the pundits were purring over Pogba’s debut against Southampton back in August. He had more touches and made more shots, dribbles, key passes and interceptions than anyone else on the pitch. It was a “brilliant, brilliant performance”, said Ryan Giggs, and “phenomenal”, according to Jose Mourinho. It seems even longer ago that we were salivating over Di Maria’s arrival in England. Three goals in his first five Premier League games and some sublime moments of skill seemed to be justifying his transfer fee, but he soon lost his way under Louis van Gaal.
Only world class player available
Despite Pogba being frequently cited as United’s “top target” in the last transfer window, there’s no doubt Mourinho would have preferred to sign Neymar or Gareth Bale or Sergio Aguero, to name a few. The difference between those superstars and Pogba is that Juventus were prepared to cash in on the Frenchman, and he was ready to move. He was the only “top level” star United could have realistically signed this summer, especially given their status as Europa League also-rans. The same was true of Di Maria in August 2014. United splashed the cash on the Argentine without even having a clear idea where he would fit into the team. At the time, this was deemed less important than the desperate need to acquire a “marquee signing” at any cost (Radamel Falcao being the other) and not end up with just Marouane Fellaini.
Would rather not have signed for Man Utd
Just as Pogba wasn’t United’s first choice, don’t presume that Old Trafford was his dream move either. When the midfielder committed himself to Juventus last season amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, he was mainly holding out for one more year in the hope that Barcelona would come calling. But they never did, so the wheels were put in motion for a return to Manchester instead. Similarly, Di Maria never wanted to join United. As he admitted after leaving, “My intention was always to stay [at Madrid]. I don’t really know what happened”. Not that either player was unhappy to move to Old Trafford, but these were transfers guided by circumstance and convenience, rather than passion and pride. That, and lots of lots of money.
Right place, wrong time?
The main thing Pogba and Di Maria have in common is that are both lovely footballers, but that isn’t always enough to guarantee success at the top end of the Premier League. In another life, Di Maria could have been a United legend, but Van Gaal’s style was never going to suit him. Mourinho, meanwhile, has been accused of failing to play to Pogba’s strengths – asking him to defend when he yearns to roam free. Then again, even when used in an advanced role – such as against Liverpool – Pogba has so far failed to deliver.
None of this necessarily means he’s destined to leave Old Trafford for Paris Saint-Germain for a knockdown fee in 12 months - it’s still early days. But Pogba won’t need reminding that Di Maria only got one season to prove himself.
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