“Here we go”: Ex-Man United star Paul Pogba agrees move to AS Monaco – Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has agreed a two-year deal to join AS Monaco with a medical set to take place later this week to confirm the move, according to the Fabrizio Romano.

Pogba, 32, is the Red Devils’ record signing after his £89 million move from Juventus in 2016.

But, despite arriving amidst a triumphant fanfare in a return to Old Trafford, having graduated from the academy only to join the Italian side on a free transfer, the Frenchman never lived up to the billing in his second stay in Manchester.

There is a sense neither Jose Mourinho nor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba’s managers during his six-year spell, ever truly grasped the best position to play the club’s biggest transfer.

Pogba’s potent pairing of size and strength appeared to convince them he was able to play in a deeper role in midfield as part of a pivot.

He lacked the defensive nous for this position, however, as well as a tendency to dwell on the ball which inhibited his ability to progress the ball effectively, despite his outstanding technical skills and passing range.

Pogba’s optimal position was on the left-hand side of a midfield three in the most advanced role; a hybrid number eight/number ten with the freedom to drift wherever his carefree heart felt best, safe in the knowledge there were two more astute midfielders deployed behind him to maintain structure and stability.

Throughout his time at Old Trafford, Pogba was only once played in this system with any level of consistency: the beginning of Solskjaer’s interim reign after the Norwegian had replaced Mourinho.

Solskjaer began life in charge of United in a classic 4-3-3 with Pogba on the left of the midfield, Ander Herrera on the right, and Nemanja Matic stationed at the base – the prototype for Pogba to produce his best performances.

Despite United beginning the season in poor form under Mourinho, and finishing it even more poorly under Solskjaer as the team ran out of steam, the Reds were fantastic for a three-month stint over the winter period during this transition between the two coaches.

Pogba’s form was so scintillating during this time he was selected into the PFA Team of the Season for the 2018/19 campaign. But at the start of the following campaign, Solskjaer reverted to a 4-2-3-1 with Pogba alongside Scott McTominay in a midfield pivot.

The results on his performances were as predictable as they were poor.

Six months later, Bruno Fernandes was captured from Sporting CP – United’s most influential signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson malaise – and Pogba’s role as a no.8/no.10 hybrid was made obsolete by the Portugal international.

Pogba would eventually leave Old Trafford, for the second time, to join Juventus after his contract expired in the summer of 2022. From a record-breaking bid to a free transfer, the 32-year-old proved an unsuccessful signing in a long line by the Red Devils in the past decade.

But Pogba’s form did not improve in Turin with a series of injuries curtailing his return for the Old Lady. And, in September 2023, his situation took a sharp twist after an adverse drug test following a Serie A match against Udinese.

In February 2024, Pogba was handed a four-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sporting (CAS) for testing positive for DHEA – a prohibited substance which boosts testosterone. The sentence was later reduced to 18 months after it was acknowledged Pogba had “inadvertently” used DHEA and it was a drug effective only in females.

This allowed Pogba to return to professional football in March 2025 and he has been searching for a new club since.

There were lucrative offers from America and Saudi Arabia but the Frenchman settled on Ligue 1 side Monaco who finished 3rd in France’s top division last year and will play in the Champions League this season.

Romano confirms Pogba has reached a “verbal agreement” with Monaco over a “contract until June 2027.” Medical tests will take place “later this week” to confirm the move as the “final details” have now been finalised.

Tweet: “BREAKING: Paul Pogba to AS Monaco, here we go! Verbal agreement in place, contract until June 2027. Final details have been sorted, contract to be checked by lawyers in next hours and then Paul will fly to Monaco in 24h. Medical tests later this week. Pogback.”

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