Man Utd will be no worse if Pogba finally leaves and Solskjaer should trade him for Bale
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OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER didn’t suggest it in so many words, but it was a comment that perhaps gave a glimpse into his long-term thinking.
The first seeds planted that the Manchester United manager was looking at life without Paul Pogba in the long-term, rather than just for a week or two.
Solskjaer, to this point, has always tried to give positive bulletins on absent players.
About how they are working hard, getting there, and hopefully won’t be missing for much longer.
Yet all of a sudden, suggestions the French midfielder would be back in a week or so were blown away by the manager revealing he didn’t expect to have him for at least another month.
Once, the thought of being without him until December because of that enigmatic ankle injury would have appalled everyone with a United link.
Certainly a defeat at Bournemouth, as happened yesterday, would have had them all screaming: “We need him back NOW.”
Yet as much as that result was a boot in the you-know-whats after the recent revival, this time it was viewed as more of a speed bump than a head-on car crash.
Yes, it was a blow. But they had coped in winning the previous three away from home.
They had coped in dominating Liverpool for large chunks of the draw two weeks ago.
In short, when Pogba isn’t there, they have coped full stop. Certainly a heck of a lot better than they once could.
Of course we all know that a United squad containing the playmaker when fully revved-up is better than one without.
But there have been too many times when that motivation and attitude has been questioned.
Occasions when Pogba has been more a hindrance than a help.
As Christmas approaches, no doubt talk of a move to Real Madrid will resurface. Most of it initiated by his own camp.
What is certain is that with two years left on his contract, there is as much chance of him signing another as the fixture planners getting a Christmas card off Jurgen Klopp.
In fairness to Pogba, he remains one of the most popular and influential dressing-room figures.
But that can also have its downside. We saw that when his own personal battles with former boss Jose Mourinho threatened to fracture the camp to breaking point.
In the end, as regards the manager’s future, they did.
What is certain is that the prospect of a United without Pogba now gets a different reaction to a couple of months ago.
If his heart is set on Real Madrid and Gareth Bale is — as all the noises from Spain suggest — willing to accept his time there is finally over, then surely there is a deal to be done. Adding Bale’s stardust to a young, hungry squad could be the making of United.
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And United could be certain they would be getting a player intent on proving a point to not only those at the Bernabeu but the doubters here who still label him injury-prone.
Pogba for Bale, plus a few quid in the bank?
That’s beginning to look very appealing to plenty around Old Trafford.