It has been a mixed season for Paul Pogba, but the Manchester United midfielder stole the show in the derby against Manchester City. The France international, 25, was dropped for both legs of the recent Champions League last-16 tie against Sevilla, which fuelled talk of a falling-out with manager Jose Mourinho. A day before the Manchester derby, City manager Pep Guardiola made the shocking claim that he had been offered the chance to sign Pogba in January. Pogba’s response? He scored twice in three second-half minutes to spark a remarkable United comeback from 2-0 down to beat City 3-2 at Etihad Stadium on Saturday and delay their rivals’ title celebrations. The hosts went 2-0 ahead after half an hour through Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan, before Pogba’s double and Chris Smalling’s winner in the second half.
Former Wales and Leicester City midfielder Robbie Savage described Pogba’s second-half performance as his “best 45 minutes in a Manchester United shirt” and said “big players step up to the mark”. Ex-England, Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder Frank Lampard said on Match of the Day: “A lot has been spoken about him all season, for good and for bad. “The first half was negative of Pogba – he did not threaten the midfield or the backline and was passive. “Sometimes he has a tendency to trot around – there are no drastic movements. He is sometimes over-elaborating in midfield – it invites pressure and puts his team in trouble. “In the second we saw a different player. He can play with responsibility and get into goal scoring positions. “If he does that more, he has all the attributes do it and score more regularly. He can be that top-class player he is threatening to be.”
Pogba’s ever-changing hairstyles continue to be a talking point and he was sporting a blue streak against City. Lampard said “with that haircut you need to perform”, while former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville called it “ridiculous”. Working on the game for Sky Sports, Neville said: “I like him – he is a good player – but he does not help himself. “If you are a wise individual, you don’t attract attention when things are not going your way. Pogba does not work like that. He has got a big job to do; he has got to prove he is serious about his football. “Coming here with blue hair today, win it is fine, lose and that is going to get mentioned forever more.”
