Pogba stuck in the middle and patience wearing thin
Paul Pogba has come under heavy criticism for his recent displays, with Jose Mourinho struggling for the best way to deploy his star Frenchman, incapable of playing the role he wants to play.
That £89million price tag may continue to weigh Paul Pogba down at Old Trafford. Constantly criticised for his sub-par performances, the chatter about the French star reached a deafening volume over the weekend.
Jose Mourinho withdrew the midfielder after 65 minutes of Sunday's poor 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United. In that time, Pogba had just one touch in the opposition box, didn't have a shot on goal, didn't create any chances and made just one tackle.
Not good enough 18 months after his mega-hyped return to Manchester. Mourinho's patience is beginning to dwindle and he still hasn't found the perfect fit in his United side for Pogba. A quandary that is getting increasingly hard to solve.
Many have stated that Pogba lacks the positional discipline to operate as a defensive midfielder. And there are those saying that his team-mates' form means he can't play as an attacking midfielder as well as criticising Pogba's own tendency to over-complicate everything, his need to do even the simple elements of the game in a stylish and eye-catching fashion.'Sky Sports' pundit Graeme Souness described him as playing "like a schoolboy running after the ball in the playground."
The fact of the matter is that there is no apparent spot for him in Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 formation, meaning the Portuguese coach may never manage to get the best out of a player who is stuck in the middle, incapable of playing the role demanded of him.
Mourinho is unwilling to budge and the Frenchman's starting place may soon come under threat. Former captain Wayne Rooney suggested Pogba should be a box-to-box midfielder operating in a more advanced position. This would allow him to truly influence the game, freeing him from the defensive responsibilities he clearly hates to make driving runs into the box, pick through balls, exploit space and take shots at goal.
But the United boss persists with his favoured formation as long as the forward players perform consistently. Pogba is stuck in the middle as Mourinho's patience continues to run out.