Pogba has shown nothing to suggest he is better than Tom.
Better passer, better vision, better shooter, more skill on the ball, etc...
Doesn't mean he's a better footballer at this moment in time given everything else that encompasses being good on a football pitch, but the potential is there for all to see. It's conceivable that he'll be better than Cleverley (maybe a lot better), just as it is conceivable that he'll be underwhelming.
It may contribute in ways to beat your defender but it doesn't make him a creative player as like I say, anyone can do that. Creativity is seeing a pass and making it, it's lifting your head up and seeing what is going on in the game and doing something with the ball that other players may not think of.
If he goes on to do amazing things, good on him. There is no reason for us to feel upset or bitter about it because you will never know how it could have panned out with us anyway. There have been plenty of better players at United who have left and we will always be able to move on and replace them, perhaps not exactly but we have always found an alternative that works and does their job effectively but in a different way.
He has shown this, though. Some of the stuff he's pulled off in the academy and in the reserves has been mind-blowing at times. I'm not getting on the back of the club for not keeping hold of him or anything like that, but there's no doubt whatsoever that he'll be a brilliant player if he can rectify certain things in his game (asking for the ball more, moving into space more - things that may well come with age and a decent willingness to improve). Of course it'll be frustrating seeing him be quality elsewhere, doesn't mean I'll be mourning the fact that we don't have him. Just as the Rossi/Pique scenarios were frustrating (particularly Rossi), it's a similar thing albeit not quite the same given the way things were left.
Another thing on the creativity bit. Being creative is a mindset as much as anything. Ronaldo was stupidly creative during 2006/07, yet before that not so much. It was his use of the ball and his attributes that improved; the attributes themselves did not change. He was always pacey, a good dribbler and direct when on form, but it was only when he matured that there was consistently substance to his play. Pogba is a very good passer when he wants to be, a good and powerful dribbler and is very skilful. What remains is the willingness to tie up these attributes to the extent that he is then fittingly creative, with efficient, goal-directed use of them. This is something that will come with time and maturity, and is for the most part a mental thing. He's already shown he has the imagination.
Nogbadthebad said:
Jesus, the ability of Pogba is like the ability of Lucas for Liverpool. the less he played the better he is.
Pogba wasnt even the best midfielder in our reserves last year, never mind more ability than Tom Cleverley.
I watch our reserve matches regularly, I know what his weaknesses were and are, and how he actually performed. I'm talking about his ability to do things with a football, and how good he could actually be if he sorts out some, granted, very fundamental things. The difference in talent between him and someone like Lucas is considerable in my opinion (based on what Lucas has shown for Liverpool), yet the difference in maturity and positional sense...not so.
That's all I'm saying. With young midfielders, you have to accept that not all of them will have this part of the game sorted already, nor will they be consistent. It's normal - very, very few are developed in this way. The concern with Pogba is that it looks like he can't be arsed when he plays sometimes, which isn't a good sign. For someone who wanted first team performances, he did not have the look of someone who was playing to prove a point.
If he grows a proper brain he's going to be amazing, unfortunately. He has so much ability than Tunnicliffe and Cleverley in terms of skill it's not even funny, and although Powell can clearly strike a football, Pogba's striking technique is amazing. Added to that he's got great physique. Potentially complete midfielder.
