Analysing Paul Pogba’s erratic performance as Manchester United drew with Liverpool

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He may be the world’s most expensive footballer, who even has his own Twitter emoji, but Paul Pogba is still finding his feet at Manchester United. The France midfielder joined from Juventus last summer for a world record fee and many assumed he would make a seamless transition into Jose Mourinho’s team. Football is not that simple, but after a slow start to his second spell at Old Trafford, Pogba began to show the talents that persuaded United to part with £89 million. Becoming increasingly influential, he seemed to be finally justifying his price-tag.

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There’s no doubt it is in the big matches where Mourinho and the United supporters are looking to Pogba to stamp his authority and dominate proceedings. They don’t come much bigger than Manchester United vs Liverpool. The extravagant Frenchman made headlines – but for the wrong reasons as he conceded the penalty from which James Milner netted Liverpool’s opener. It was a key moment in the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a late equaliser for the hosts. Sporting a snazzy new haircut, Pogba was erratic throughout and failed to hit the high standards he has set himself. The statistics don’t make for good reading. Pogba completed just 71 per cent of his passes and failed to create a single chance during the 90 minutes.

It could have been different had he broken the deadlock, as in truth he probably should have done. After some neat play, Pogba found himself through on goal but shanked his shot horribly wide. Worse was to follow. Pogba had been tasked with marking Dejan Lovren at corners but struggled to deal with the threat of the Liverpool man, who was able to escape his clutches. From a United perspective it was concerning, and their fears were realised when from one such corner, Pogba inexplicably handled after taking his eyes off the ball, which cannoned into his left arm. Milner confidently dispatched the penalty.

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It was an example of a lack of defensive discipline, which was a feature of Pogba’s performance. He could also count himself fortunate not to have been sent off after clashing with Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson in his own penalty area, shortly after Milner’s goal. Pogba appeared to lock his arm around Henderson’s neck and wrestle him to the floor. Had referee Michael Oliver seen the incident, he may have had no option but to brandish a red card.

Pogba struggled to assert himself in the remainder of the match. In mitigation, he was not alone as United looked unrecognisable from the side that had won their previous six Premier League fixtures. Ibrahimovic maintained their unbeaten run with an 84th-minute leveller, but on the whole it was a disjointed display. Every player is allowed an off-day – and this was certainly the case for Pogba. It’s not his fault that United paid an astronomical amount for him, but due to the size of his transfer fee, his performances will be scrutinised more closely. This was one to forget.