Paul Pogba The Next Pirlo

French U-20 International Paul Pogba was ad-mist of the media coverage when he moved to Juventus from Manchester United. The transfer of the 19 year old midfielder raised question about Ferguson’s transfer policy, a manager who is known to keep hold of the young talents he has. But was it Ferguson’s fault ?  It was rumored that the player’s agent Mino Raiola to have agreed a €2m commission on the deal – which might explain why Pogba went to a league that is lower than the Premier league and to a club where there is depth in the middle. 

Pogba the next Pirlo

Pogba finally made his full debut in Seria A against Chievo Verona and put out an impressive display which was praised by Juve coach Massimo Carrera. Pogba showed the maturity and calmness in the center of the park and though it is very early to say, the French man can be an ideal replacement for the Andrea Pirlo who was benched in the last game. Carrera went on to state:

“Pogba showed he is a great player who has a future with this club. He has all the characteristics needed to do well in Italy. Like Pirlo, Pogba was man-marked tonight and so the team had to find other solutions to spread the ball.”

 It’s quite an achievement for a player, who just played seven games in the previous season and come to Italy and under a tough environment like Juve’s to play a game with such high levels of maturity is very difficult and not a lot of players can do that. And on top of that replacing a Veteran like Pirlo and playing with such calmness and determination shows he is no ordinary youngster. Pogba played as an anchor and play maker in front of a defensive trio, which made his positioning more important than his passing range and the French man did not disappoint.  His passing was high level (85% success rate), his tackles were strong and well timed (won 8 out of 11) and his aerial ability (won 4 out of the 6 aerial battles) brings to the table another dimension that Pirlo lacks. 

Even the opposition manager Mimmo di Carlo mentioned about Pogba’s effect in the game:  

“He’s an ideal replacement for Pirlo. He’s young but has an assured future. I like him a lot”. Pogba seems like a confident young lad and I won’t be surprised if he is completely sure that he’s on the same level, if not better, than world-class teammates Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and even Pirlo.”

By now Man Utd fans who did not want Pogba at the club will have seconds thoughts on him as this boy is not just another youngster but has potential to become a world class player, if he keeps his head down and put in continued efforts.