Arsenal legend slams Man Utd signing of Pogba
Martin Macdonald
- 1 Feb 2022 07:16 CST
- 3 min read
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Manchester United's acquisition of Paul Pogba is an example of how not to conduct business in the transfer market.
The World Cup winner remains the club's most expensive acquisition as he joined the Old Trafford outfit for €105 million back in 2016.
The deal saw the Pogba return to Man Utd as he was previously in the club's youth system before leaving for Juventus due to a lack of opportunities under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
It was meant to be a game-changing piece of business for Man Utd, but unfortunately for the club, and for Pogba, it hasn't worked out that way as he has never been too far from criticism.
TRENDING
Sometimes unplayable, but extremely inconsistent, Pogba has been linked with a transfer away for some time.
Now, Man Utd are facing the prospect of letting the most expensive player in their history leave for free when his contract expires in June.
Wright believes that Man Utd ultimately did not buy a player who suited their system, as Pogba flourished on the left of a midfield three for Juventus.
“You look at Pogba, he’s not a six, he’s not an eight and not a 10,” Wright told Premier League productions.
“He is a player we saw when he played for Juventus, on the left, with a very well-balanced midfield and played with freedom. Aaron Ramsey, the same kind of player. He plays with freedom. You need the right players.
“That is where people are buying the wrong type of player without fitting them in."
The Van Dijk example
Wright goes on to cite Liverpool's purchase of Virgil van Dijk as an example of a fantastic piece of business as the Reds recognised their need for a centre-back and addressed it.
"This is where the Virgil van Dijk signing is absolutely perfect," Wright continued.
“That’s why they would have paid another £25m for him – you look at how Virgil was playing for Celtic, he is playing exactly the same now.
“This is why all of the top teams have missed out on a player that was showing, the fact that he was playing in a league that wasn’t as good as the Premier League, but Liverpool have benefited from it.”
