Manchester United announced on Wednesday that Paul Pogba will leave the Premier League club at the end of June when his contract expires.
The Frenchman has a long history with United, having joined the club’s Academy at the age of 16 from Le Havre. Pogba rose quickly through the ranks, first impressing in the Under-18s and then quickly advancing to the Reserves.
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He first gained widespread attention as a member of the club’s unprecedented tenth Youth Cup victory in 2011, appearing in both legs of that year’s final against Sheffield United.
The following season, under Sir Alex Ferguson, he made his first-team debut in a 3-0 League Cup win away at Leeds United. However, due to stiff competition for places at Old Trafford, Pogba joined Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2012.
He quickly rose to prominence in Piedmont, assisting La Vecchia Signora to four consecutive Serie A titles and two Coppa Italias. However, in 2016, he made the difficult decision to return to Old Trafford in order to continue the nascent United career he had started in that breakout season of 2011/12.
He was quickly inserted at the heart of Jose Mourinho’s new-look midfield, and his first season back in M16 was a resounding success. Following a brilliant second’ debut against Southampton, where he wowed the crowd with his all-round midfielder mastery, Pogba started two cup finals, both of which resulted in the Reds lifting silverware.
First, he appeared in the 2017 League Cup final against Southampton, which was won 3-2 by Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s dramatic late winner. The Swede scored twice, and Mourinho praised both Zlatan and Paul as United’s standout performers.
A few months later, United advanced to the UEFA Europa League final in Solna, Stockholm, and it was Pogba who opened the scoring against Ajax, kicking off a poignant 2-0 victory just days after the tragic Manchester Arena bombing.
The following season saw a promising second-place finish, as well as arguably Paul’s most admired performance in a red shirt – in the chaotic and memorable Manchester derby of April 2018.
Pogba was instrumental in leading France to a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the World Cup final that summer, and he was a constant presence throughout the tournament. Spurred on by that career high, Pogba’s next season, 2018/19, would prove to be the most productive in his United career, with 16 goals in 47 appearances. However, managerial changes, with Mourinho leaving to be replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, led to a period of insecurity for the team.
Injury issues limited him to just 22 appearances across all competitions in 2019/20, despite United finishing third under Solskjaer. And the team’s upward trajectory continued in 2020/21, when two memorable Pogba goals – at Turf Moor and Craven Cottage – propelled United to the top of the table in January 2021.
Pogba’s final season at Manchester United began in spectacular fashion, with an incredible four assists in our opening-day thrashing of Leeds United, but more injury problems would ultimately derail his ambitions.
The Frenchman made only 27 appearances under Solskjaer and his replacement, interim manager Ralf Rangnick, and his final 233 United games ended in the 10th minute of a defeat at Anfield in April 2022, with Pogba forced to leave the field due to another unfortunate knock.
“Everyone at Manchester United would like to congratulate Paul on his successful career and thank him for his contributions to the club,” United said in a statement.
(Inputs from ANI)
