Manchester United won at Burnley FC 1-0 today, and in doing so ran their unbeaten streak in Premier League play to 11. They also moved up to first place, all by themselves, assuming this position in January for the first time since 2013. The man of the match, the player leading the way, Paul Pogba.
The most expensive transfer in English history, this is what United paid Juventus 90 million GBP for in 2016. The Frenchman scored the only goal of the match, and his passing was sublime on this day. For United to really be all they can be, Pogba must be all that he can be; full stop.
He’s certainly had an up and down career, and sometimes, he obviously isn’t going full bore, but right now he’s feeling it.
“I’ve always said Paul is a big player for us,” manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
“He is a good character in the dressing room, he is always the one the lads look to and he’s a world champion of course, and I think he’s at his best at the moment.
“He’s been injured and he’s had Covid so it’s natural to need to get back to fitness after that.”
Maybe the best summation of Pogba and his performance today comes from this post at NBC Sports:
“Perhaps he’s making sure his market value stays high or maybe he’s found another comfort zone, but Pogba was at his very best and sensational throughout the win. We know how it looks when he’s not invested, and this wasn’t that.”
Yes, it’s still very possible that this is the Frenchman’s final season back at United, and if so, then no doubt he wants to make the most of it. The midseason distraction of the nonsense his agent Mino Raiola was spewing seems to be behind him, and the club.
They’ve come together now, and up next is the mother of all matches- at reigning league champions Liverpool. United will go in with a three point advantage on their archrivals, who now sit second.
“We have to keep calm, now it is the big moment,” Pogba said of the massive weekend clash ahead.
“We will see what is going to happen. … It will be a beautiful game for everyone. A big game coming up so let’s get ready for it
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.