Although "Manchester United" has already acquired Zlatan Ibrahimović and Henrikh Mkhitaryan this summer, the new team manager Jose Mourinho promises not to stop there, and rumors are circulating that he is trying to bring back French national team midfielder Paul Pogba to the team.
After reports that "United" started negotiations with Juventus midfielder, oulala.com decided to take a closer look at the star, valued at 100 million euros, and compared his statistics with the results of the top five European league midfielders, trying to determine whether this footballer is truly worth this record-breaking sum.
124 shots (1), 8 goals (25)
With a never-give-up attitude towards goal-scoring, Pogba clearly led in terms of shots taken by midfielders. However, such frequent attempts did not bear much fruit, as he was only among the top 25 most productive midfielders with just 8 goals. These numbers do not really reflect the Frenchman's productivity in front of goal - only 6.5% of Pogba's shots ended up as goals.
102 successful dribbles (7), 55 interceptions (100)
Pogba is always praised for his speed and technical skills, which can be seen in the statistics - he ranks among the top 10 players with the most successful dribbles against opponents. However, even in this category, Pogba was not the leading player - there were midfielders who were more successful in one-on-one situations.
Less impressive is Pogba's defensive statistics - he only intercepted 55 balls throughout the season, ranking just eighth among the top 5 league midfielders.
12 assists (6), 42 chances created (86)
Last season at Juventus, Pogba recorded 12 assists, placing him in sixth position in terms of midfielders. This should symbolize his ability to create opportunities for his teammates, but looking at this category alone, it is clear that the footballer was far from among the statistical leaders in this regard, as these assists reflect more on his teammates utilizing the chances he creates rather than his frequent creation of opportunities for them.
1399 successful passes (61), 83% pass accuracy (254)
Passing accuracy is one of the most important functions of a midfielder, and in this aspect, Pogba demonstrates the worst results in his statistics. Although the Frenchman is not incapable of making successful passes, his pass accuracy of only 83% is far from the results shown by the best players in this position, ranking him at 254 among all midfielders who have played more than a match.
Conclusion:
The statistics of the 23-year-old footballer in the 2015-2016 season should make Manchester United think twice before breaking the all-time world record by acquiring Pogba. He is not the most efficient at goal-scoring, and although he is among the top ten one-on-one players and most assists in midfielders, his 86th position in terms of chances created is truly disappointing. Pogba also does not rank among the best midfielders in terms of passes and their accuracy, so the record-breaking transfer fee for acquiring him seems more like a risk and an attempt to stand out rather than a proper evaluation of the player's performance.
