Manchester United can’t afford to keep Paul Pogba

Manchester United are obviously in need of a rebuild- for probably the third or fourth time in six years. The club has been rotten to the core by egos, hefty earners and a lack of leadership.  Not just a lack of plan- something that has been talked about very often recently.

At the centre of all the problems lies Paul Labile Pogba. Talk of an inflated ego, hefty earners and a lack of leadership- Pogba goes onto define that.

While he is United’s best player on his day, he is the most annoying player at other occasions. The problem is that it happens way too often than it should. And the sparkling performances come once in seven or eight games. That isn’t what world-class players do.

Despite that, Pogba has shown the guts to question the manager and his tactics and act as if he is bigger than the club. He questioned Jose Mourinho’s approach to coaching as if he himself was doing well. As if playing the other way has done well for him after an initial burst in performances.

Pogba is running out of excuses in that regard. He has been handed the captain’s armband many times but he has shown no signs of what a leader should be like. For a club like United, no player is bigger than the club. Roy Keane wasn’t, let alone Pogba.

The tag of being a World Cup winner with France refuses to go away, no matter what. When Pogba’s performances in the World Cup weren’t as spectacular as he or some fans might portray. The way he played in the final was poor up till the goal that he scored. But it is being portrayed as he was the best player for the Les Bleus. When he wasn’t.

It isn’t that which is the biggest problem. The biggest problem is how he talks too much but hardly lives upto the words on a consistent basis. He is portrayed as a shiny World Cup winner who can win games as will. But on the pitch, he gives the impression that he hardly cares.

United’s lack of leadership is defined by not just Ed Woodward but by Pogba too. A leader has to lead by example. He can’t go on criticising his own manager openly- that isn’t the way to set examples. He has to lead the team forward by showing how to play, by giving his all. That isn’t something Pogba does on a consistent basis.

In all ways, the Frenchman presents the disease United are currently suffering from. He is like United- can beat anyone on their day, but falter rest of the time. Players like him represent what United should not be. These egos and characters are bringing United down and making them look like something that only threatens, doesn’t act.

United need a change in their ethos. A change in the ethos that someone like Pogba represents. If United are looking for a rebuild, Pogba shouldn’t be part of the new United. Links with Juventus and Real Madrid should be welcome.