Paul Pogba can still give Manchester United what they’ve always wanted after Aston Villa win

It’s not even a month since Paul Pogba’s Manchester United career appeared to lie in tatters, again.

The Frenchman had been held responsible for more inflammatory comments from his agent Mino Raiola, a man who simply cannot help himself when it comes to plunging the knife into United.

That those comments signalling the end game of Pogba’s time at Old Trafford came on the eve of a do-or-die Champions League encounter only heightened the frustration. Predictably, the life went out of United’s Champions League campaign in Leipzig 24 hours later.

But rather than that defeat in Germany marking the dismal full stop on Pogba’s unfulfilled United career, it has actually sparked the 27-year-old into his best run of form for the club in two years.

Pogba came off the bench and scored in Germany and he’s started five of United’s seven games since. He was probably their best player in December and although we’re only 90 minutes into a January that could see United play nine times, he’s on course to repeat the trick.

In the last few weeks Pogba has played as a defensive midfielder, further forward in a diamond and on the left of the attack, but the crux of the matter for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer right now is simple: wherever you play him, Pogba just needs to play.

He was magnificent in the win against Aston Villa that kicked off 2021 in the same way United ended the year. The 2-1 victory in an enthralling game between two excellent sides took them level on points with Liverpool in the Premier League and their return of 26 points from a possible 30 is a run of form few sides will be able to match in a season that will test aching limbs and levels of consistency like never before.

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Against Dean Smith’s impressive Villa side Pogba was diligent when United went to a diamond out of possession, but his best work was with the ball, whether that was moving wide and linking with Luke Shaw or coming infield and interplay with Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Pogba was bloodied in the battle, caught in the mouth by a stray elbow from Tyrone Mings, but his response was to torment Villa. He’d already been excellent but he went up another level after that.

He was crucial in United’s opener, taking possession with a lovely touch in midfield, flicking the ball up and over John McGinn before sending a headed pass to Rashford, who freed Aaron Wan-Bissaka. His cross was converted by Martial.

There was a spell in the second half when Pogba spent more time centrally, with Fernandes on the left, which shows just how integral Pogba had become to United’s performance.

It was no surprise when United needed a quick response after Bertrand Traore’s equaliser that Pogba provided it, his smart turn into the penalty area rewarded with a clumsy foul from Douglas Luiz.

The only criticism of Pogba is that he should have made the winning margin a bigger one, missing an excellent chance with 20 minutes to go when he fired wide from Luke Shaw’s cross, and that his decision to try and cross with 30 seconds left on the clock so nearly backfired. He was indebted to Eric Bailly’s crucial block from Keinan Davis at the other end seconds later.

But those were the only blemishes and this performance continued the trend for Pogba, who is thriving right now despite his evident desire to leave the club.

Any ideas of a departure this month will be well and truly parked with United now right in the title race.

It was the £89million signing of Pogba in the summer of 2016 that was supposed to signal the return of United to serious title challengers. That has never happened, but as he prepares to say his inevitable goodbyes in the summer, it would be quite the story if his parting gift was to inspire United to a thoroughly unexpected title.