Paul Pogba has an ongoing contract situation at Manchester United, with uncertainty surrounding whether he'll remain at Old Trafford next season.
Regarded as one of the world's most talented players, it would be a blow for the Red Devils to lose the French midfielder on a free transfer - again - although there are positives that supporters could focus on.
Pogba is an outstanding individual player, but from the perspective of a head coach, he can prove to be somewhat of a tactical headache when it comes to presenting him with a role that maximises his ability.
The 28-year-old can thrive as part of a functional system but as a consequence of the current squad at United, it shows as difficult to accommodate him alongside other key players.
While at Juventus, Pogba prospered as part of a 3-5-2 system; he was deployed on the left of a central midfield trio alongside Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal and evolved into a top performer.
He also tends to contribute when representing France in a midfield two, having benefited from the defensive presence of N'Golo Kante as a partner alongside him, who is one of the greatest at covering ground and defending open spaces.
United, by contrast, have not been able to provide him with the same surroundings since bringing him to England.
Fred and Scott McTominay cannot operate like Kante does, and Nemanja Matic is now aged 33, meaning that a midfield pairing in the mould of the France national team cannot be used for Pogba at club level.
A central-midfield three similar to what was used by Antonio Conte at Juventus is also out of the question due to Bruno Fernandes, who is fixed as the team's no.10 in Manchester.
The Portuguese has become integral to the Red Devils, but he's less versatile than many of his teammates and simply has to play as a no.10 between midfield and attack.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could incorporate both Pogba and Fernandes using a midfield diamond shape, but that would remove wide forwards from the team, meaning the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood would likely have to occupy the bench.
Solskjaer started to get more from Pogba at the end of last season by fielding him on the left of his 4-2-3-1 at times, but with Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo now added to the team, the Norwegian is struggling to present him with that role.
The Frenchman has undeniable quality but like many other players, he requires a specific environment to be a positive for the team. It is unfortunate for the player and the club that both Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer have found it hard to establish that environment.
It will be a shame if Pogba departs in 2022 but upon inspection of United's current squad, it is unlikely that his skill set will be harvested in Manchester any time soon.
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