A harmless pass, as he did hundreds of, and the right thigh whistling.
Paul Pogba found himself on the sidelines on February 6, after half an hour of play against Everton (3-3).
The French world champion was blowing hot and cold this season, until the start of a ramp-up in 2021, stopped dead.
Orphaned from his midfielder, Manchester United sowed points in the Premier League.
But did not lose everything.
His victory over City in the derby (0-2) did not restart the race for the title, but it is prestigious, the Skyblues remaining then on 21 successes in a row.
The Red Devils spanned West Ham in the round of 16 of the FA Cup (1-0) before correcting Real Sociedad in the 16th of the Europa League (0-4, 0-0).
All without Paul Pogba.
Good point: Manchester are doing well, with a 13-game unbeaten streak.
Bad point: Pogba is more than ever under pressure, between a dynamic to maintain in club, a meeting taken in Blue and a contractual situation which increases the tension in Manchester.
"Being with us (last November) gave him a boost."
Didier Deschamps about Paul Pogba on beIN Sports
"I can say that it's over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United," said his agent, Mino Raiola, in the columns of
Tuttosport
on December 7.
The one who also represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti or Erling Haaland quickly back-pedaled.
All for nothing: Pogba (28) did not leave Manchester during the winter transfer window, nor did he extend his contract, which expires in June 2022. Risk the free departure of a player recruited for more € 100m to Juventus in 2016 would be heresy.
But difficult for the Red Devils to offer a golden bridge to Pogba, irregular as possible.
For the past year, Old Trafford's favorite has been called Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese attacking midfielder took the keys to the game while being ultra-decisive.
Around him, Marcus Rashford is untouchable and Mason Greenwood promising, not to mention the weight taken in midfield by Fred and Scott McTominay.
In short, getting the best out of both Pogba and the team is by no means easy for Mancunian coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Pogba's top 5 goals with Juventus (2012-2016)
A benchmark match against Portugal in November 2020
The starting lineup aligned by Solskjaer this Thursday, in the round of 16 second leg of the Europa League against AC Milan (1-1 in the first leg), should deliver little information.
Seeing Pogba start on the bench for his return from injury would not be more logical, especially in a cleaver game at San Siro.
But this is the starting point for a little race against time.
In less than 3 months, Didier Deschamps will count on Pogba for the Euro, with a “group of death” awaiting the France team (Germany, Portugal, Hungary).
"They may have periods of less well, but they are confirmed players who know the France team," analyzed the coach of the Blues, on March 5 on
beIN Sports
about Pogba and Antoine Griezmann, at the penalty at FC Barcelona.
The two men will meet Clairefontaine next week, with Ukraine (March 24), Kazakhstan (March 28) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (March 31) to start the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Good news?
“Being with us (last November), it gave him a boost, judged Deschamps about Pogba.
That did not prevent him from having a very, very great match in Portugal (0-1) whereas before, it was complicated in Manchester. "
After this detour by the France team, there will remain 10 Premier League matches at Pogba, in addition to potential journeys in the Europa League and the FA Cup, to rebuild their health before the Euro.
The destination is known, the journey less.
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