I don't see what's wrong with him being a destroyer, but if the situation presents itself, can start the counter attack after he himself wins the ball back. It's not like we'll be asking him to be out of position constantly. And finally, just because I describe him as being athletic doesn't mean I want him to be a box to box midfielder. I want him to win the ball back and recycle possession to Pogba and the other midfield partner. However, him being athletic is a natural advantage he has when defending as he constantly shows whether he's at CB or FB. He's an amazing tackler and it's his outstanding quality that puts him over the top. I've never seen a stronger tackler for the youth teams dating back to 2011 or United's first team in long time. I've shied away from labeling him this because I have wanted him to produce this at the first team level, but the more and more I watch of him, the more I feel that he can live up to that billing.
I've always liked a midfield 3 with Pogba to have a person who can run the game with their passing and another who can make up for Pogba's tendency to go forward and who can provide the energy Pogba doesn't always provide when tracking back. Pogba is fast, but he uses it in bursts to either dribble or to win the ball back. That's why I felt that Vidal and Pirlo were great partners to Pogba. Vidal provided the energy, and Pirlo ran the game from the back. With TFM, the qualities of the passer (Pirlo) and the athleticism (Vidal) would be reversed. Instead of the maestro from the back like Pirlo or older Carrick, the midfield 3 would have the destroyer who can quickly cover ground should the situation call for it, but is mostly there to protect the back 4. The passer on the other hand would be more mobile than Pirlo or older Carrick.
Essentially Pogba doesn't have to run the game through his passing and he doesn't need to stay back. That's what I think his partners should provide and you can go about it in two different ways.
