How will Paul Pogba be remembered at Manchester United?

Part 3: Freedom

One of them didn’t even make it to January, as Mourinho was sacked in December. Pogba had won the war, and now it was time to show why United had stuck by their prized asset. And to be fair, he did just that.

With Ole at the wheel and the shackles off the midfielder, he displayed his best form in a United shirt. He netted a career-best 13 league goals, and made it into the PFA Team of the Year for the 18/19 season.

His ball had been retrieved from the mean neighbour’s garden, but he’d gotten it back and was allowed to play football again. He was finally consistently producing the form of a £89 million player as the focal point of a team.

And he did it with such a swagger. The Frenchman finally looked happy again, and it was showing on the pitch.

With Pogba’s and United’s fortunes changing from the better, it felt like a rebirth. He was the man and the team was built around him – optimism returned that the player could lead the club back to glory.