Paul Pogba did not ask for the £89m price tag; it was thrust on to him by the greed that envelops modern football today. With such hefty price tags in the transfer market, players are put under a microscope and every move they make is scrutinized by the fans, the pundits, and the media.
When the prodigal son returned to the Premier League and Manchester United, all eyes were on him – waiting to see him crack, waiting for that first mistake, waiting for that one powerful performance to answer his critics. The one that Sir Alex Ferguson let go was brought back by the third manager to fill in the hot seat at Old Trafford and Jose Mourinho had plans for him.
The Frenchman has already played in three different midfield roles, most notably a defensive midfield role and a central midfield role. Rarely has he played as a no.10 behind the striker but his movement allows him to dictate play as and when he sees fit.
There were the initial hiccups as Pogba acclimatized to the league. But since November, he has shined for the Red Devils. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that United's unbeaten run in the league has now been extended to 16 games. It has held United in good stead as they look to reclaim a spot in the top four.
Also read: Paul Pogba was on the verge of joining Manchester City last summer
In spite of the varied roles at United, his play in the attacking half is what defines the 23-year-old midfielder. And nobody else has completed more than 1,000 passes in the opposition’s half than Pogba himself.
In terms of overall passes, Pogba is second in the league (1786), behind Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson (2057). However, Henderson is a shade below 1,000 passes having played the same number of games as Pogba.
Surprisingly, the likes of David Silva (Manchester City) and Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) – who play for teams that have had more possession than United – have completed fewer passes in the opposition’s half. Even Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is far behind as is Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.
However, no player has a better pass completion in the opposition half than Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante. Antonio Conte struck gold when he convinced the player to leave defending champions Leicester City and, so far, that move has paid them rich dividends as they sit comfortably on top of the league table with a 10-point lead.
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | PASSES COMPLETED | PASS COMPLETION % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United | 1,029 | 83.05% |
| 2 | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool | 987 | 81.17% |
| 3 | Mesut Ozil | Arsenal | 954 | 85.41% |
| 4 | David Silva | Manchester City | 930 | 86.27% |
| 5 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 875 | 83.41% |
| 6 | Ander Herrera | Manchester United | 871 | 84.73% |
| 7 | N'Golo Kante | Chelsea | 809 | 86.99% |
| 8 | Christian Eriksen | Tottenham Hotspur | 795 | 77.49% |
| 9 | James Milner | Liverpool | 772 | 79.18% |
| 10 | Nathaniel Clyne | Liverpool | 747 | 82.36% |
Stats also taken from WhoScored
