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2021-22 Performances

View full 2021-22 profile

5.2 Season Average Rating
Appearances
27
Goals
1
Assists
9
Yellow cards
9
Red cards
1
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Rozay said:
That is a very good point, and all true, although it also creates a new question regarding the attacking shape in the sense that we cannot have a traditional front 3. You could argue that Bruno himself makes it something of a front 3, but then you have to ask whether Bruno as a forward is a better trade off than Rashford as a forward, which will be the net loss from the XI if we persist with this line up. Personally, I’m not sure it is. Rashford is our fastest forward by far (discounting Dan James who is basically a defender) and gives us a penetrative threat in behind and on the counter. He also scores 20 goals a season, which is slightly less than Bruno, but he also doesn’t take our penalties. He has raw individual ability and unpredictability that Bruno doesn’t have, which I think you want in the final third where 1v1 situations decide matches.

I can’t see us having a first choice XI this season personally, and we will keep switching personnel and approaches largely because individuals are too good to be dropped more than because we know what kind of team we are trying to be. Rashford, Striker, Sancho with Pogba AND Bruno behind them doesn’t work, certainly not regularly. I personally don’t want Pogba to become a fixture in our front 3 at the expense of losing a more traditional forward player who offers a direct threat.
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Agreed, and it's part of why I wasn't as desperate for Sancho to be bought as others were. We didn't need a right winger that desperately; we already had top wide forwards, we just didn't play to their strengths by asking them to be creative wingers. Two of Greenwood, Rashford, Martial, and Cavani on either side of Bruno is a good enough attacking force to get goals, especially if they're supplemented by an unleashed Paul Pogba.

That said, even right now Pogba isn't part of the front 3 really. The front 3 is Bruno + the two other attackers, and Pogba is more part of the midfield 3. So playing Rashford as one of the two attackers basically solves the problem of leaving out his directness.

In fact, I could easily see Rashford scoring a similar goal as Greenwood vs Leeds, assisted by Pogba. Slightly different position and role, but one that maximizes his strengths by allowing him to focus more on scoring and less on creating.
 
He's the French Steven Gerrard.

Hailed by everyone as a world class central midfielders, but they're actually only good when played in an attacking role instead of midfield.
 
If camavinga goes to PSG, they will have Verrati, Widjnaldum, Gueye, peredes,Herrera and Camavinga fighting for CM spots - can they add Pogba to that considering they have Di Maria's and Messis playing potentially CAM too?
 
Bebestation said:
If camavinga goes to PSG, they will have Verrati, Widjnaldum, Gueye, peredes,Herrera and Camavinga fighting for CM spots - can they add Pogba to that considering they have Di Maria's and Messis playing potentially CAM too?
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They will ditch Herrera easily for starters. He is basically a non factor
 
lex talionis said:
If we sell Pogba, then clearly two midfielders. Ole clearly has no use for Donny, so we might as well cash in on him now. But if we keep Pogba, one midfielder.
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We don't play him in midfield so that's a moot point. We need two, McFred and whatever combination from Matic or Donny just isn't good enough.
 
I think it will be a 4-2-2-2 with Pogba and Bruno with the front 2 being 2 of Rashford/Sancho/Martial/James/Cavani.

Personally I think Pogba should be playing the Rooney role 2005-2009. Second striker but dropping very deep at times almost as an attacking midfielder. Problem is this is Bruno's best role too.

Ole does seem committed to playing Pogba amd Bruno together with 2 hard workers behind them. I think most can agree this is better than Pogba as a sitter who simply loses the ball trying too much.
 
He has to sign a new contract and help us push on because this is the best our squad has been in years. If only our recruitment policy wasn't so shambolic we would've achieved much more with him in the team. There's no way we're getting a player of similar quality if we let him go, except if we manage to unearth the next big thing which is very very unlikely.
 
That interview on BBC where he’s talking about Varane signing makes me think he’s going to sign a new contract. Certainly doesn’t sound like someone that’s considering leaving.
 
Pogba will have to go back to CM now. While it's not the best for him individually it will be the best for the team with the options we have

But he has always played there without complaints so it's no issue really

Our attack is too good to bother playing two defensive midfielders haha
 
Seriously, if he still wants to leave after we've signed Sancho, Varane and seemingly now Ronaldo as well then there's no hope, is there? If he still leaves after all THAT then he was never considering staying anyway. I think he'll stay and I hope he does.
 
Garethw said:
That interview on BBC where he’s talking about Varane signing makes me think he’s going to sign a new contract. Certainly doesn’t sound like someone that’s considering leaving.
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This is the odd thing isn't it. He always talks so positively about the team + the future like he's got 4 years left.

It will be very strange if he leaves.
 
laughtersassassin said:
Pogba will have to go back to CM now. While it's not the best for him individually it will be the best for the team with the options we have

But he has always played there without complaints so it's no issue really

Our attack is too good to bother playing two defensive midfielders haha
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Why? Ronaldo only really works uptop. Bruno behind him, Pogba in his current role and Sancho on the right. Time for a title push.
 
He should stay now, even just for a season. We have a great chance this season, with line up consists of Ronaldo the GOAT, Bruno, Pogba, Sancho, Rashford, Greenwood, Varane, Maguire, Shaw etc

Also, with Ronaldo leading our attack, Pogba would have great chance to top assists chart this season.
 
Every report has said he's happy here and I do believe he is happy. Unfortunately, I think he will choose to leave.
 
I think he may need to play more CM than LM this season if we need to fit Bruno, Ronaldo, Rashford, Sancho
 
Adam-Utd said:
This is the odd thing isn't it. He always talks so positively about the team + the future like he's got 4 years left.

It will be very strange if he leaves.
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He's just a professional who clearly has respect for the club.
Him leaving the club (if he chooses to do so - fingers crossed he doesn't!) isn't a reflection that he's burning bridges or doesn't have affection for us anymore.
It's his career at the end of the day, and we've only won honours in the 1/5 years he's been with us.

As fans we need to stop taking players leaving clubs so personally, there are far more obvious examples of players leaving us and burning bridges while doing so.
 
Art said:
I think he may need to play more CM than LM this season if we need to fit Bruno, Ronaldo, Rashford, Sancho
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I don't know, it's a shame because he never looks good in a 2 man midfield. He's not defensive at all. Tbh I'd rather even play Bruno further back because at least he presses.

We didn't sign a DM so we're likely to line up with Bruno - Pogba - Mctominay/Fred as our best midfield. I think realistically Pogba will have to rotate with Bruno or Sancho as that midfield would get overrun by a lot of teams.
 
marktan said:
I don't know, it's a shame because he never looks good in a 2 man midfield. He's not defensive at all. Tbh I'd rather even play Bruno further back because at least he presses.

We didn't sign a DM so we're likely to line up with Bruno - Pogba - Mctominay/Fred as our best midfield. I think realistically Pogba will have to rotate with Bruno or Sancho as that midfield would get overrun by a lot of teams.
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We have to. We still haven't signed a midfielder. Our defensive is pacy enough to potentially cover him. Sancho being on the right also means AWB doesn't have to push up as much either. Maybe that can help.
 
RooneyLegend said:
Why? Ronaldo only really works uptop. Bruno behind him, Pogba in his current role and Sancho on the right. Time for a title push.
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Better off playing our best all round team imo. Our attacking options are too good now to be playing 2 limited Midfielders
 
laughtersassassin said:
Better off playing our best all round team imo. Our attacking options are too good now to be playing 2 limited Midfielders
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Aye, hard to drop Mason anymore and Jadon will surely work his way in. And that’s even before Marcus gets back.

It‘s not perfect, but as things stand it looks likely.
 
Pinging balls to Ronaldo…. Hes going to rack up assists
 
C’mon let’s finish this feckin incredible window by renewing that contract eh Paul? It would be the icing on the cake for me.

We need to keep Pogba, build on what we have.
 
Wolves 0:1 Man Utd
One of our better players today but again him in a midfield 2 doesn't work, just like in the Europa final against Villarreal. It's not his fault Ole keeps playing him there but it really limits him.

His game is about playing key passes, taking players on, he can do that on the LW or as an AM but playing him deep takes out half his game.

The worse thing is that defensively he's terrible, always has been, he just gets played deep because he's big and can hit long passes. Would you play David Silva as a deep midfielder? The knock on effect is that Fred basically had to cover the midfield by himself.
 
Horrible first half, truly shocking, looked Sunday league imo. Second half was better and I thought Carragher’s comment about his first time passes was right, looks a lot better when he moves the ball quickly.
 
Hope he's back in the left-sided role after the internationals. Not only is he much more dangerous when he's closer to our forwards, but he drops in to midfield frequently and creates overloads. Without him there, there's a huge void between our midfield and attack.
 
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