Manchester United has had quite the busy summer. They began it with the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager. The Special One’s arrival wasn’t a surprise, but it was a clear statement regarding United’s recent struggles. Mediocrity was no longer an option at Old Trafford. The board followed up Mourinho’s hiring with several high profile transfers. Villarreal’s Eric Bailly was brought in to sure up a suspect defense. Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan does the same for the midfield. In addition, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his much anticipated move to England with the Red Devils rather than Arsenal. But the biggest shoe has yet to drop. United are zeroing in on Juventus’ Paul Pogba. They want to right possibly their biggest wrong, and are willing to pay handsomely to do so.
Pogba came to Manchester United originally in 2009. His move from the Le Havre academy in France to United’s youth system was one of much contention. However, after all the dust settled, Pogba became a regular on the U-18 circuit. Pogba featured for both the U-18 and U-21 sides over the next two seasons. He also became a fixture in the youth setup for France. Unlike many prodigies before him though, his chances with the main roster were limited. Pogba made only three senior appearances before leaving Manchester on a free at the close of 2012.
That 2012 move began to look slowly as catastrophic as the movie of the same name. Pogba was a catalyst in Juventus’ second straight Scudetto-winning campaign. He won Best Young Player in Europe honors during his debut season in Turin. While the great Sir Alex Ferguson made it abundantly clear that he didn’t regret letting Pogba walk, everyone else in that hue of red surely started to sweat.
Pogba’s profile only grew over the ensuing three seasons. Juventus kept winning domestic titles. They made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2014 and then the Champions League finals a year later. Pogba continued to accumulate accolades in the meantime. He won Young Player of the Tournament at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He made consecutive Serie A Teams of the Season. Spots in the World XI and UEFA Team of the Season were also bestowed upon the Frenchman. Meanwhile, United continued to flounder.
After winning the Premier League in Fergie’s final season, Manchester United’s highest finish in the league is 4th. The latest FA Cup is the only silverware, unless you count the Community Shield, in United’s trophy case since his departure. Their midfield has lacked that playmaker and creative force. Louis Van Gaal spent millions upon millions to rectify that problem, but never quite found the right fit. All the while, Pogba became a dynamo in Italy, leading Serie A in assists last season.
But now it seems everything is coming full circle. Manchester United is ready to right their biggest recent wrong and bring Pogba back to the club. Rumors are swirling as to the stage of negotiations the two clubs are currently at, but a deal could be fully consummated as early as this weekend. Pogba would return “home” for a fee in the neighborhood of £105m and a contract worth over £200,000 a week. His arrival would be the biggest splash in a summer of cannonballs for England’s most notable club. He would tick so many boxes that David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal tried to with multiple players in the past three years. However, is the price worth it when it is so high that Real Madrid, owners of the world’s most expensive duo of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, bow out? We’ll see come the fall.