To think we could have had Thiago and Pogba pulling the strings in midfield if only Ferguson hadn't released Pogba and Moyes hadn't thought Thiago was crap. Also, Hazard on the wing.
Paul Pogba
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To think we could have had Thiago and Pogba pulling the strings in midfield if only Ferguson hadn't released Pogba and Moyes hadn't thought Thiago was crap. Also, Hazard on the wing.
To think if he does sign for PSG they will have him and veratti + Rabiot for the next 12 years (potentially)... scary
I don't think he regrets one bit leaving Utd, look how his career has panned out since then. It's only been a win after win for him. Some of us are deluded to think deep down he regrets having left for whatever reason.
I could see Madrid coming in for him and getting him, honestly he would suit them to a tee and replace Alonso perfectly.
Why does he keep talking about Ferguson and United, then?
I just see an egoist who only cares about himself and has a cadre of agents and advisors stroking that ego.
Talented? Sure. But his personality suits Real Madrid not us.
If he is so happy at Juventus, then why is he fishing for another transfer with his comments?
I think it is disrespectful to Juventus, a club which has given him his chance.
I just see an egoist who only cares about himself and has a cadre of agents and advisors stroking that ego.
Talented? Sure. But his personality suits Real Madrid not us.
If he is so happy at Juventus, then why is he fishing for another transfer with his comments?
I think it is disrespectful to Juventus, a club which has given him his chance.
Maybe journalists keep asking him about it?
Ferguson said:
Might be mistaken but I've always thought that he does this to take the focus off the money aspect of his move (his agent's fee etc etc). Plus, constantly giving his side of the story effectively means less criticism for his perceived lack of patience while at United.
Bingo.
How many failed through balls did he do? Decent player but seriously overrated.
He really stands out and just oozes class.....He's always in control and it's like watching Viera in his prime and he'll only get better
I think if Herrera takes the Premier League by storm and surpasses all of our expectations then the Ghosts of Pogba will be exorcized.....There's plenty of midfielders out there as good as Pogba and new midfielders will emerge as good as him but he soon will be the worlds best and his departure from here will be a thing of endless myths from anti-Man Utd Journalists who will will take great pleasure in churning out endless articles about how letting him slip through our net for free was the biggest mistake in football transfer history
I think if Herrera takes the Premier League by storm and surpasses all of our expectations then the Ghosts of Pogba will be exorcized.....There's plenty of midfielders out there as good as Pogba and new midfielders will emerge as good as him but he soon will be the worlds best and his departure from here will be a thing of endless myths from anti-Man Utd Journalists who will will take great pleasure in churning out endless articles about how letting him slip through our net for free was the biggest mistake in football transfer history
What a load of bollocks!
I think he's a completely differently to Alonso, you must not have watched enough of Pogba to think he would be ideal to replace him. Alonso is a disciplined player in terms of positioning and with sublime passing, Pogba needs freedom to be at his best. They have nothing in common
Im not saying they are the same player but taking one of the worlds best older midfielders and replacing him with one of the worlds best young midfielders seems logical to me. Not to mention the goals it would add and the commercial interest. He has absolutely shone for France and Juve.
Yeah but ideally they would wanna replace Alonso with a young CM who shares his same qualities (Illaramendi ?) and not a player like Pogba who has other things going to his game. If they buy him it surely won't be for replacing Alonso but more like strengthening themselves and preventing others from buying him.
I actually don't mind we spend £40m+ on him, if he wants to come back.
Same here. People are saying we will look stupid if we do so but surely it would be even worse if we stood by and watched him become one of the best midfielders in the world without trying to get him back to the club.
Barca spent something similar to get Cesc back. I wouldn't mind at all if we paid big money to get him back.
I don't think we will sign him. I doubt he has any interest in returning to us, but I don't think the fact that he left two years ago would have any impact on a potential transfer if we and he were interested in the move.
The CEO, the manager and pretty much all of the staff involved in transfers have changed since Pogba was here. If the deal made sense, I would think and hope that the van Gaal and Woodward would ignore what happened in the past and get it done.
The CEO, the manager and pretty much all of the staff involved in transfers have changed since Pogba was here. If the deal made sense, I would think and hope that the van Gaal and Woodward would ignore what happened in the past and get it done.
Fergie's latter years thinking rafeal in CM and bringing scholes out of retirement was a better option than giving pogba a chance , sums fergie's judgement up. If we want a driving CM that can go box to box and winning the ball, why not sign him up? The club thought spending 28 million on fellaini was a good idea
Anyone else getting fed up with the constant reminders from commentators and pundits that we let him go? Seems like every time his name is mentioned they insist on bringing it up, yes we know we messed up not giving him a new contract no need to bloody constantly remind us!
Not only that... We did offer him a new contract but he chose to leave.
It was one game, one freaking game. It's not like Rafael was constantly picked ahead of him to start in the midfield. It's grinds my gears when that game is mentioned as the reason for his departure.
It must have been his lack of desire to play young players that led to Cleverley, Jones, De Gea, Smalling, Welbeck and Rafael starting games for us, right? It's another one of this forums folklores.
Scholes was brought on for a specific purpose. And for the most part he did his job. We should have won the title by a margin, unfortunately we proceeded to bottle it at the end.
@RedRover
Jones-Signed for 20m and had two seasons of PL before him.
De Gea-Signed for 20m and had played loads at atletico.
Cleverley-Had two loan spells, in championship and PL before given a chance.
Smalling-Signed for 10m and had played with fulham. After his first season, got shafted to right back.
Welbeck-Two loan spells, in championship and PL.
Rafael is the only one that went straight from the academy to the first team. All of the rest were loaned out first or got experience else where. What about playing the likes of owen as a winger instead of giving the youngsters a chance? Or playing carrick as a defender.
It might have been one game but its the clearest way to disprove the notion that he was given a fair chance by united and SAF. Talking about bizarre forum folklores, I find it funny how in six months with no football, he was ready to play for Juventus but wasnt ready to even be rotated here.
Or telling the whole world that you arent signing scholes replacement because we have pogba in reserve and then bringing scholes back instead of giving him a chance. What kind of message does that send to him?
Doesn't matter how much they signed for. They were young players who were given a chance, which refutes your earlier assertion on Sir Alex's "serious lack of trust and short-sightedness".
If an academy player was talented, he was given a chance. Fryers, Tunnicliffe, Pogba, Will Keane, and Ravel - were all trained with the first team and given minutes. Wooton and M.Keane were also given chances in the carling cup (the following season maybe, I am not certain). Challenge that season was more daunting than it has been in the past. It was the city rivals and the manager wanted to do the best to thwart that challenge. He was almost proven right for it too.
The message to him was that he was highly rated, that he had to bide his time like any other youth player. He would have been given his chances had he stayed on. Who can ascertain that we wouldn't have given him as many appearances as Juve did the following season?
He left, many others have before. United fans need to stop crying like a jilted lover and move on.
Anyway, my last post on the topic, ever. I just don't have anything else to add. You and others are free to feel aggrieved that he left.
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It so clearly does. If we had signed a 22 year old messi for 60m would he have been a youngster as well? Giving chances to an academy product is different.How many minutes were they given? Why dont you find that data before giving examples of kids who were never given a chance at all.
Erm..history? Why would we suddenly have given him a chance after six months. Do you think SAF would have woken up in the summer thinking Oh Shit, we have a talented midfielder in our ranks or the sheiks would have left city?
Or some united fans should accept we screwed up, instead of burying their head in the sand.
Yeah, we signed Phil Messi for 60m. 
A young player promoted to the first team is a young player, doesn't matter if he came from the academy or if we bought him. The point is that none of the players I mentioned were established stars. May be De Gea should have asked for a transfer when Sir Alex, due to his short-sightedness, benched him for Lindegard?
You mean that they would be in the first team right now, if Fryers, Ravel, or the others I mentioned got a chance?
Stop talking.
A young player promoted to the first team is a young player, doesn't matter if he came from the academy or if we bought him. The point is that none of the players I mentioned were established stars. May be De Gea should have asked for a transfer when Sir Alex, due to his short-sightedness, benched him for Lindegard?
You mean that they would be in the first team right now, if Fryers, Ravel, or the others I mentioned got a chance?
Stop talking.
Has Pogba ever played in a 2 man midfield? I have not watched much of Juventus last season and I just caught one game that France played but whatever little I saw, I noticed it was always a 3 man midfield that he played in.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...chester-united-transfers-inside-story-7354430
The question I have after reading this article is this:
When did Pogba decide he was going to Juventus? Before or after the match where Rafael was played in midfield?
It sounds from the quotes from the club's representatives that the Juventus deal was already happening before that match. Pogba's own quote makes it sound that way too.
In which case, Pogba was already on his way out the door yet he won't stop talking about that exclusion. Fact is he wasn't brilliant whenever he played in the first team that season. Perhaps some fans' memories are clouded by his time at Juve. And if he was engineering a move away, then the coaches had every right to play the best team they could on the day.
The question I have after reading this article is this:
When did Pogba decide he was going to Juventus? Before or after the match where Rafael was played in midfield?
It sounds from the quotes from the club's representatives that the Juventus deal was already happening before that match. Pogba's own quote makes it sound that way too.
In which case, Pogba was already on his way out the door yet he won't stop talking about that exclusion. Fact is he wasn't brilliant whenever he played in the first team that season. Perhaps some fans' memories are clouded by his time at Juve. And if he was engineering a move away, then the coaches had every right to play the best team they could on the day.
My understanding is that his agent wanted a guarantee of a certain number of first team games.
Fergie wouldn't commit to it.
The contract offer was one of the best offered to any youngster at the club.
As someone else has pointed out…he was overlooked for ONE game v Blackburn when he expected to play. Then his head went.
Young player has a strop shocker!
His talent is undeniable but that's football.
I do wonder whether people have a slightly rose-tinted over-rating of Pogba going on. Sure he's good, but he's not outstanding. He's nowhere near Yaya yet, for example.
The man is a mercenary who has constantly bad-mouthed us for the last two years just because he thought he was better than he was at the time.
The man is a mercenary who has constantly bad-mouthed us for the last two years just because he thought he was better than he was at the time.
And his agent is a scumbag. I am quite certain he would have left us regardless.
Small titbit from Martin Samuel in The Mail today regarding "very disturbing rumours about his departure from united".
Anyone heard anything?
Anyone heard anything?
No. That said, I don't believe that the greatest manager of all time failed to recognise the talent possessed by Pogba. It was right under his nose, after all. So, if it wasn't that, then there must be another reason why he "wasn't given a chance."
Given who is agent is, I suspect he was set on leaving for some time and SAF was aware of this.
Given who is agent is, I suspect he was set on leaving for some time and SAF was aware of this.
I've heard that the Mail is famous for dramatizing unimportant stories to try and sell copies, if that helps?
His first major international tournament and he's one of the best french player of the tournament (Valbuena n°1 and Cabaye n°2). Not bad at all
We all know he is great. I was drooling over his goals for our youth as well.
But at this point I don't see how you can go in for him again after what has happened. Same with Ravel Morrison.
If you do, then you are telling everyone how you can be treated by the next talent that comes along.
Pogba could have signed a new contract, and I think he would have locked down a midfield place in short order. He'd be earning more now at a bigger club, and he'd be just as famous or even more for what he can do.
But at this point I don't see how you can go in for him again after what has happened. Same with Ravel Morrison.
If you do, then you are telling everyone how you can be treated by the next talent that comes along.
Pogba could have signed a new contract, and I think he would have locked down a midfield place in short order. He'd be earning more now at a bigger club, and he'd be just as famous or even more for what he can do.
He's a young lad with a bright future. I hope he matures and becomes as professional off the pitch as he is talented on it.
I just don't see any way of him doing that at United anytime soon.
I just don't see any way of him doing that at United anytime soon.
Tbh, I find it hard to take Samuel's work seriously these days. As F365's Mediawatch regularly points out, the man changes his 'convicions' on a daily basis; much of his stuff is laughable in its favouritism, logical incoherence and expediency.
Some recent examples:
Easy Rider
Mediawatch makes no apologies for once again quoting Martin Samuel from April 2013 when he wrote about Luis Suarez following his biting of Branislav Ivanovic: 'The FA is increasingly a rogue regime in need of monitoring. Flushed with the success of banning Luis Suarez for 10 games for an offence that previously received a yellow card, the FA wishes to further nail its other racist bogeyman: John Terry.'
Fast-forward to July 2014 and Samuel writes in the Daily Mail that Suarez was 'given a pathetically easy ride from those in his camp' who argued against his latest FIFA ban.
Note to Suarez defenders: You can only give him a 'pathetically easy ride' when you're trying to make a point about your beloved John Terry.
Full English
We sighed and then fetched our breakfast when we saw the headline on the back page of the Daily Mail, showcasing Martin Samuel's column with the headline 'Being English shouldn't be a crime'. We briefly wondered who could possibly have said being English was a crime, the fools, took our sustenance and turned to pages 68 and 69.
Of course, nobody at all has said that being English is a crime, it's just that Samuel - increasingly feverish in the heat of Brazil - is angry at the former President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (described as a 'left-wing leader' by Samuel. Of course) and Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez for criticising the English press. So not the English at all, but the English press. Phew. Middle England can probably rest a little easier in their twin beds tonight.
And what did 'man of the people' Lula actually say? "The press of England was the media that most criticised the World Cup, saying we would not even manage to make it happen."
And what does that mean when put through Samuel's angry translation machine? 'According to the former president, it was only the English that ever speculated about Brazil's readiness. He is wrong.'
When Samuel has a straw man in his sights, there really is no difference between 'most' and 'only'. Especially when you can use the word 'England' or 'English' 25 times in one article. The SEO bods at the MailOnline should all club together and buy Samuel a fan.
Bogeyman
'Suarez is treated no more or less harshly than any English player,' writes Samuel as he continues to argue that being English should not be a crime despite nobody saying it should. 'The reaction was nothing to do with knocking England out of the World Cup. It was what happens if you bite people.'
Which is rather at odds with what he wrote in April 2013 when arguing that Suarez should have got no more than a booking for biting Branislav Ivanovic when he described the Uruguayan as the FA's 'other racist bogeyman' and one of two names on top of 'a list of unsympathetic figures that they can fall back on to fake a show of strength, whilst not alienating the multitude'.
We're lost. Is Suarez picked upon or not, Martin? Oh, it depends on whether you want to make a point about your cause celebre John Terry or not. We see.
England's Saviour
Martin Samuel is a magician, and his most famous trick is to take any news story and, abracadabra, it is transformed into a dig at the Football Association before your very eyes.
Samuel uses part of his Daily Mail column today to demonstrate a wonderful example of his party piece, in a piece regarding Arjen Robben's dive.
'Arjen Robben was public enemy number one at the World Cup on Monday, accused, yet again, of diving,' Samuel begins. 'So what did the Dutch federation do? They put him in front of the media to give his side of the story, like a grown-up.
'Had that been Wayne Rooney facing a similar crisis, we would have been offered Phil Jagielka and Frank Lampard - and at the first mention of cheating, a hyper-ventilating Football Association apparatchik would have blocked all questions on the subject.
Yes, Samuel is criticising the FA for not putting a player forward for an entirely hypothetical and imaginary incident. The same FA that put both Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney up for media questions after intense disappointment during this World Cup.
Furthermore, while Robben was allowed to give his side of events, the midfielder actually admitted diving earlier in the match, causing a media storm in which calls were made to FIFA to ban the player. Not exactly a recommended move.
Perhaps, Martin, if the tabloid media didn't run back page headlines crying foul at the FA Chairman's choice of holiday reading or players daring to smile the day after being knocked out, then they may be a little more prepared for questions to be asked of the highest-profile players?
So is it any surprise that Dutch footballers accept responsibility during matches, while England's retreat trembling into a shell?
Why of course. It wasn't fatigue that caused England to fail in Brazil. Nor the heat and humidity. Not the number of foreign players in England or our players' lack of ability to keep the ball or defend properly. And it wasn't that we kept missing chances, either.
No, the reason England struggled in a major tournament again was because players don't do enough interviews for the media. Nailed it.
Mediawatch makes no apologies for once again quoting Martin Samuel from April 2013 when he wrote about Luis Suarez following his biting of Branislav Ivanovic: 'The FA is increasingly a rogue regime in need of monitoring. Flushed with the success of banning Luis Suarez for 10 games for an offence that previously received a yellow card, the FA wishes to further nail its other racist bogeyman: John Terry.'
Fast-forward to July 2014 and Samuel writes in the Daily Mail that Suarez was 'given a pathetically easy ride from those in his camp' who argued against his latest FIFA ban.
Note to Suarez defenders: You can only give him a 'pathetically easy ride' when you're trying to make a point about your beloved John Terry.
Full English
We sighed and then fetched our breakfast when we saw the headline on the back page of the Daily Mail, showcasing Martin Samuel's column with the headline 'Being English shouldn't be a crime'. We briefly wondered who could possibly have said being English was a crime, the fools, took our sustenance and turned to pages 68 and 69.
Of course, nobody at all has said that being English is a crime, it's just that Samuel - increasingly feverish in the heat of Brazil - is angry at the former President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva (described as a 'left-wing leader' by Samuel. Of course) and Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez for criticising the English press. So not the English at all, but the English press. Phew. Middle England can probably rest a little easier in their twin beds tonight.
And what did 'man of the people' Lula actually say? "The press of England was the media that most criticised the World Cup, saying we would not even manage to make it happen."
And what does that mean when put through Samuel's angry translation machine? 'According to the former president, it was only the English that ever speculated about Brazil's readiness. He is wrong.'
When Samuel has a straw man in his sights, there really is no difference between 'most' and 'only'. Especially when you can use the word 'England' or 'English' 25 times in one article. The SEO bods at the MailOnline should all club together and buy Samuel a fan.
Bogeyman
'Suarez is treated no more or less harshly than any English player,' writes Samuel as he continues to argue that being English should not be a crime despite nobody saying it should. 'The reaction was nothing to do with knocking England out of the World Cup. It was what happens if you bite people.'
Which is rather at odds with what he wrote in April 2013 when arguing that Suarez should have got no more than a booking for biting Branislav Ivanovic when he described the Uruguayan as the FA's 'other racist bogeyman' and one of two names on top of 'a list of unsympathetic figures that they can fall back on to fake a show of strength, whilst not alienating the multitude'.
We're lost. Is Suarez picked upon or not, Martin? Oh, it depends on whether you want to make a point about your cause celebre John Terry or not. We see.
England's Saviour
Martin Samuel is a magician, and his most famous trick is to take any news story and, abracadabra, it is transformed into a dig at the Football Association before your very eyes.
Samuel uses part of his Daily Mail column today to demonstrate a wonderful example of his party piece, in a piece regarding Arjen Robben's dive.
'Arjen Robben was public enemy number one at the World Cup on Monday, accused, yet again, of diving,' Samuel begins. 'So what did the Dutch federation do? They put him in front of the media to give his side of the story, like a grown-up.
'Had that been Wayne Rooney facing a similar crisis, we would have been offered Phil Jagielka and Frank Lampard - and at the first mention of cheating, a hyper-ventilating Football Association apparatchik would have blocked all questions on the subject.
Yes, Samuel is criticising the FA for not putting a player forward for an entirely hypothetical and imaginary incident. The same FA that put both Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney up for media questions after intense disappointment during this World Cup.
Furthermore, while Robben was allowed to give his side of events, the midfielder actually admitted diving earlier in the match, causing a media storm in which calls were made to FIFA to ban the player. Not exactly a recommended move.
Perhaps, Martin, if the tabloid media didn't run back page headlines crying foul at the FA Chairman's choice of holiday reading or players daring to smile the day after being knocked out, then they may be a little more prepared for questions to be asked of the highest-profile players?
So is it any surprise that Dutch footballers accept responsibility during matches, while England's retreat trembling into a shell?
Why of course. It wasn't fatigue that caused England to fail in Brazil. Nor the heat and humidity. Not the number of foreign players in England or our players' lack of ability to keep the ball or defend properly. And it wasn't that we kept missing chances, either.
No, the reason England struggled in a major tournament again was because players don't do enough interviews for the media. Nailed it.
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Samuel was actually worth reading when he was with The Times. Since he joined The Fail he has become total garbage.
Would love there to be something in this, and every twat who is insistent we screwed up letting him leave would have to hush all of a sudden.
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