Why Man United shouldn’t think twice about swapping Pogba for world-class midfield general

Why Manchester United must go ahead and swap Paul Pogba for Marco Verratti

Premier League giants Manchester United have been reportedly offered Marco Verratti plus cash for Paul Pogba by French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Verratti, 25, was on the verge of signing a new deal worth £9m-a-year. But reports claim thst PSG would still consider selling him this summer, particularly if they can bring in a marquee signing like Pogba in part of a swap deal.

Manchester United have not been at their best since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 but the Red Devils still remain one of the biggest names in world football.

Jose Mourinho has assembled a squad containing many world-class players such as Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, and United doesn’t look far off from challenging for the Premier League and Champions League. However, the Portuguese manager still needs signings in some areas before his side can be called a complete unit.

The Red Devils have been busy in the ongoing summer transfer window and have already signed Diogo Dalot from FC Porto and Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk. Despite signing Fred, United are still short of an energetic, box-to-box midfielder.

Pogba was signed from Juventus in 2016 to carry out the aforementioned task but after two seasons at Old Trafford, the French international has failed to live up to the reputation he built in Turin. Pogba has shown glimpses of his brilliance since moving to United but he has mostly struggled with what has been demanded of him by Mourinho.

Due to Pogba’s failure in a double-pivot with Nemanja Matic, Mourinho had to alter his system to help the Frenchman out of his struggles. Regardless of Mourinho opting a 4-3-3 system and freeing Pogba from his defensive duties, the 26-year-old has failed to constantly deliver the goods at United.

But with talks of a swap deal between Verratti and Pogba swirling around, should Mourinho take it? Without a single doubt, yes. Mourinho watched Marco Verratti during Italy’s World Cup play-off defeat to Sweden at the Friends Arena in Stockholm last November.

The Italian is considered as one of the most gifted midfielders in world football. He won his fifth Ligue 1 title with PSG last term. However, he had a dismal campaign individually as he managed just three assists in 22 league games.

But there’s no doubting Verratti’s talent and his ability to create opportunities out of nothing. He is one of the most complete midfielders in the world and possesses top attributes.

The 25-year-old could offer United a creative option from midfield which the club lacked at times last season. Verratti covers a lot of ground, never shies away from tackles, and is a player who stays committed to the cause. While his hot-head and reckless nature has earned him several bookings, at 25, the PSG man still has time to mature and bring more discipline to his game.

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If United manage to acquire Verratti, they will have an absolute gem in their ranks. But if the prospect of losing Pogba for Verratti arises, Mourinho should happily take it this summer as he faces the most important season of his managerial career with his reputation on the line.