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Originally Posted by BarryX
Taking the club's pants down in public. Saying (through Raiola) is unhappy and wants to leave, that he can't express himself, etc, and turning down the offer of a new contract (I guess not for the first time). Basically, acting in a way that will only benefit himself, not the club that has trained him and spent a world record transfer fee bringing 'home'. I get that he's free to do what he wants and wants to make himself as much money as possible, but at the end of the day that's also a sign of pure greed and lacks any respect to MUFC, his fellow players - who he will also influence - and us, the fans.
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I kinda get that, and he clearly hasn't delivered what we wanted when we signed him, but I just find it too simplistic to completely blame the player. Have we had a single player in the last half a decade who has consistently performed brilliantly? Bruno probably comes closest, and even he's had his critics.
I just think Pogba gets too much credit for being some sort of Machiavellian strategist. He's a bit of a simpleton IMO, a man-child who just gets easily manipulated by his agent, who, in turn, is simply doing his job of not letting a club have complete control over a player's affairs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryX
That's seemingly what he's angling for though, we can all see it. Turn down the reportedly 100k a week contract extension and walk away for free next summer. Do we really need a circus hanging over our heads for the next 12 months??
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It is what it is, though, and this is just standard process for a big player in a contract negotiation, especially when it's likely to be the most important contract of their career. The flip side is that he hasn't actually thrown his toys out of the pram, hasn't refused to show up, hasn't demanded a transfer. In fact, he's been the consummate professional, which is something that has been backed up by his manager and colleagues.
Even when he was benched by Mourinho I can't remember him causing any problems, or being particularly outspoken.
This prima-donna tag he gets is not accurate IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryX
WTF?
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My point is, that he's an easy target because of the persona he has. He's brash and confident, so his personality is magnified, as is the 'controversy' that surrounds him. Reality is, that the controversy is largely smoke with little fire. Yes, he may end up leaving on a free, but he may also sign a contract extension because he loves it at United.
Hard to criticise him on trying to maximise his salary either when he's seen what's happened with the likes of Sanchez and De Gea in recent years, and with Raiola in his corner, they'll fight for the best deal possible.