What will it take for Manchester United to unlock the international Paul Pogba?

Paul Pogba of Manchester United (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
Paul Pogba of Manchester United (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
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It’s quite difficult to understand the nature of Paul Pogba’s game for a Manchester United supporter. For someone who has been the mover and shaker for France at Euro 2020, his influence in a red shirt since arriving in 2016 has been cold, to say the least.

You see there’s always going to be a notion that the midfielder is dissipating his talent at Manchester United. On the contrary, his performance under Didier Deschamps has been nothing short of any dominion.

The apparent picture at hand for the aforementioned needs no mentioning whatsoever. While playing for Les Bleus, Pogba is unconfined as was evident during his Man of the Match display against Germany and then a similar performance against Portugal in the group stage. And that is down to one predominant facet.

The Presence of N’Golo Kante

All English Premier League
All English Premier League

All English Premier League

Paul Pogba has enjoyed fruitful outings whenever lined alongside Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante. In fact, the duo’s record for France speaks volume.

They have played 30 games together for Les Bleus and are unbeaten in all of them, winning 22 while drawing eight.

Kante’s willingness to do the running and dive in for challenges means Pogba has more freedom to work on the offensive front.

Against Portugal, 96 of his 99 attempted passes found the man and this figure was significantly more than his closest competitor; Kante (64) himself.

The French model suits Pogba as his services are being converted more often than not. Against Germany, it was his ball that led to Mats Hummels’ own goal, while against Portugal, there were several moments of majesty.

Kante’s presence is a testament to the fact that one man can change the facet, and Pogba is relishing the opportunity.