Paul Pogba: Was he a hit or flop for Manchester United?

After coming in as the then world-record signing, Paul Pogba was seen as the next big thing for Manchester United, who would take the club back to the top in the post-Alex Ferguson era. But unfortunately, he has always been an on-and-off player for the Red Devils since his return in the summer of 2016.

The first three seasons looked like the best he had at the club, but his performances have kept on becoming more and more inconsistent every year since then.

Pogba has played in various positions throughout his second tenure at Old Trafford, mainly as a central midfielder, but also as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, and even a left winger, but never showed his best form in any of those positions.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 39 goals and provided 51 assists in 233 appearances in his Manchester United career. On the other hand, his Juventus stats stand at 177 appearances, 34 goals and 40 assists.

What is Pogba’s legacy at Manchester United?

Comparing his stats at Manchester United and Juventus won’t show you an incredible amount of difference, but the impact he had in Turin was far greater compared to what he had at the Theatre of Dreams, where he looked like just another player in the team for the majority of his tenure. Another thing to consider is that he was just breaking out in senior football in Italy. By the time he returned to Old Trafford, he was a bona fide superstar.

Fans expected a huge contribution and impact from him, like what Kevin De Bruyne or N’Golo Kante had at their respective clubs. But he has never matched those expectations.

All things considered, he was a ‘below-average’ signing. He played with top players at Juventus in a team that won league after league, and but he played for Manchester United during a transitional phase. Thus, while it might be harsh to call him a ‘flop’, we can’t forget the world record transfer fee that the club had shelled out to sign him either.