The Importance of Paul Pogba's Return

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SteemSports Presenter: @the23chronicles

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SteemSports Editor/Writer: @writingamigo

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When Pogba got injured, everyone knew that Manchester United will miss their £89.3 million worth midfielder. Yet, it appeared that Paul Pogba’s 10-week absence, spanning over 13 matches, seemed a little unreported.

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There have been minute-by-minute updates on his road to recovery and how he has enjoyed himself, but nobody has really pointed out the obvious. The reason Manchester United has not been playing as well is that they have been playing without him.

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It can be said that Manchester United without Pogba is like Mozart without his piano or even Manchester City without Kevin De Bruyne. But his performance in Saturday’s defeat of Newcastle United was not good news for Manchester United fans. Anyone with a desire for a competitive Premier League title race post-Christmas should hope Pogba’s injury woes are now behind him.

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The focus in Pogba’s absence has been on United boss Jose Mourinho. Manchester United reverse metamorphosis from a raging lion in those first few weeks to a scared little cat has been accredited to the Portuguese reversing to his comfort zone type of football, parking the bus.

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For weeks, he’s worn a morose look. All the while repeatedly crying about the fact that he is not crying about all the injuries he’s had to contend with. But with a dominant display from his team on Saturday and a return of his star striker to the score sheet, the smile returned to Jose’s face.

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But who could blame him? Pogba is back after the great start of the season, and MU is ready to roll again. This coupled with the drastic drop of Mkhitaryan's form, who after registering 5 assists in the first four games, has looked totally out of place for the past month.

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But when Pogba plays, he gives United personality. And they need it. Instantly, they go from being introverted to the point talented players seem happy, as though a switch has been flicked. And the fact is, for a significant portion of Pogba’s absence, watching Manchester United play has been like watching paint dry.

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But on Saturday, there was not a dull moment. It brought back the fond memories of the beginning of the season when Pogba and Matic looked to be the most convincing central-midfield pair at Old Trafford since the days of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. The relationship between the two is almost telepathic, with Matic more than happy to stay back as the defensive midfielder.

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Pogba was everywhere in the 70 minutes he played, registering a goal and an assist, before being replaced by Marouane Fellaini. If Manchester United showed a little rust after the international break, Pogba, in his first game in 67 days could not have been more at ease. Pogba hit passes as soon as he saw them, which is often before anyone else sees it. One thing is for sure - his presence makes other players play way better. United make more chances with him playing and they look more cohesive and confident.

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On the return of his close friend, Lukaku played with a bounce in his step that had been absent in a number of leaden performances. United’s win rate with Pogba is 58%, and without him, it dropped to 38%.

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With Ibrahimovic back in the equation, after making a remarkably rapid recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, and also Marcos Rojo, United can be expected to return the fire to Old Trafford, one we know they have as they have shown it this season.

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