Back in mid-November, Paul Pogba held an interview with RTL in France where he explained that going on international was a ‘breath of fresh air’ for him.
It wasn’t a dig at Manchester United per se, but was more a nod to how well his national team was doing, with everyone getting along and enjoying themselves under Didier Deschamps’ tutelage.
Since then, a few things have happened in the media, primarily Mino Raiola announcing Pogba’s likely exit from the club next summer, but the player himself has remained vastly silent about things, going on about his business as professionally as best he can.
The 27-year-old started and finished the 3-2 win over Sheffield United on Thursday evening and it was his pass that led to Anthony Martial ending his goal drought.
Add that to the skill move that started the counter-attack for the third goal, and the Frenchman enjoyed a positive evening for once.
This comes around the same time Didier Deschamps, who gave an interview to L’Equipe, explained he saw a different Pogba recently, but that his personality always helps him overcome it when he needs to, much like a certain someone over at Barcelona.
He said: “Antoine [Griezmann] or Paul have obviously been impacted by what has gone on in their club or every day life. The national team is a breath of fresh air for them. There’s trust between us. They know what I expect of them. Before the World Cup, Blaise [Matuidi], Hugo [Lloris] or Raphaël [Varane] were also questioned.
“But they’ve always answered present when in the France team. When I hear debates of whether Griezmann is indispensable for the team. It’s such a ridiculous question. Antoine and Paul also have this pride and self-respect that greats have”.
So far this season, Pogba has made 16 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United, scoring two goals and picking up two assists.
