In hindsight, the lack of success enjoyed by Manchester United in the Louis van Gaal and the Jose Mourinho era – barring the odd domestic cup triumph and that Europa League victory – feels all the more baffling when you consider the talent at the Red Devils disposal in that era.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, one of a large number of players who’s ability was largely squandered at Old Trafford, spoke to Gary Neville on the latest edition of The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, and still cannot understand why Manchester United struggled to keep the pace with Man City, Tottenham and even Leicester.
Especially when you consider that United had probably the best goalkeeper in the world in David de Gea, players with the title-winning experience of Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney, the game’s most expensive footballer in Paul Pogba and a bonafide legend of a centre-forward in Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Bastian Schweinsteiger baffled by Paul Pogba struggles
“David de Gea, Valencia, OK the backline was not that important but you can play with (Marcos) Rojo and (Chris) Smalling). (On the) left, Luke Shaw,” Schweinsteiger says, rattling off a star-studded XI of former Man United team-mates.
“Midfield; Pogba, Schweinsteiger, maybe Carrick. Up front, Rooney and Ibrahimovic, (Marcus) Rashford. That’s enough. 100 per cent (that team was good enough).
“If you need long balls, bring Fellaini, and you can play long balls if you want.”
Man United would finish fifth in Schweinsteiger’s debut season in 2015/16, missing out on Champions League qualification. The Red Devils dropped down to sixth once Mourinho replaced Van Gaal in the Old Trafford dugout, despite the additions of Eric Bailly, the £89 million Pogba, and a striker in Ibrahimovic who scored 28 goals in that campaign alone.
Schweinsteiger still looks back with a great deal of fondness on his time alongside Pogba, Ibrahimovic and one Wayne Rooney, even if that era of Man United did not work out nearly as well as either the players or the fans would have hoped for.
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“I call (Pogba) one of the best midfielders I played with,” Schweinsteiger adds, harbouring an opinion held by most when arguing that the Frenchman’s ability was wasted somewhat in a squad never set up to get the best out of him, United seemingly and rather oddly reluctant to build a team around their record signing.
The contrast between Pogba’s displays for United and for France – when he had an elite defensive midfielder in N’Golo Kante giving him the freedom to push on – was night and day.
“You could see (Pogba’s talent). Especially when playing for the French national team, the potential he had when he has the right team around him,” the Bayern Munich and Germany legend adds.
“I enjoyed playing with him so much. Him and Zlatan, Wayne… that was so nice. We had the right pieces. It was actually all there! But you just needed to put the puzzle together.”
Rooney and Ibrahimovic have now hung up their boots. Pogba, still only 31, may have played his last professional game too after being banned for four years due to a doping offence (ESPN).