On the Spot: Where is the real Paul Pogba?

The real question Manchester United fans want answered is who the No. 6 on the field really is. Because he doesn't seem to be the same confident young man who decided that he had had enough of waiting and walked out on Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pogba's performance on Sunday at St. James' Park summed up his last few weeks: taken off at Spurs in the 63rd minute, dropped at home to Huddersfield and substituted against Newcastle with his side a goal down. It's almost as if he didn't bother to show up at all on Sunday. But we know that Paul Pogba is a much better player than what we've seen from him the last few weeks. You don't go from being one of the hottest properties in Europe to suddenly becoming almost anonymous in nearly every Premier League game.

The French international has been on the receiving end of harsh criticism from past legends of the game such as Paul Scholes and Graeme Souness. That's not to say Pogba doesn't deserve some of the criticism that's come his way. Certainly, a $126 million player shouldn't always be whining about fouls not going his way, but should just get up and get on with it (I'm also looking at you, Cristiano Ronaldo).

But some of it also has been unwarranted. It simply makes no sense to compare Pogba with Chelsea's N'Golo Kanté, who seems to be everyone's favorite French midfielder. They play different roles in different systems and have different styles. What is true is that Pogba is a great midfielder and probably should be doing much more. You can see why José Mourinho puts him deeper. He has exceptional ability in taking the ball out of the back with his athleticism and strength. A player of his caliber should be able to adjust to systems and do well, but it brings me to my larger point.

Cast your minds back to December, when Pogba had the game of his life at Goodison Park. He was running the show and provided the assists for both Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard's goals against Everton. Where was he playing in that game? Not deep alongside Nemanja Matic, but in a more advanced role. It's obvious to anyone – perhaps except Mourinho – that Pogba's best position is in front of the two holding midfielders.

We've seen Mourinho try to do this before with Cesc Fábregas at Chelsea, when the Spaniard sat alongside Matic during the successful 2014–15 campaign. While both Pogba and Fábregas can spread the ball very well, it's evident where they're different. The fact is that Pogba's success at Juventus came in a 4-3-3 system, allowing him to be the most advanced of the three midfielders to really deal damage on the opposition.

Mourinho's reluctance to deploy Pogba further forward – even with Michael Carrick and Scott McTominay both fit and capable of playing alongside Matic – is severely costing Manchester United one of its best attacking options. It's why Manchester United fans continue to grumble against the team's lack of style. It's this stubbornness to adapt that explains why Pep Guardiola, and not Mourinho, will be the happier manager in Manchester come May.