Manchester United have been shown how to solve Paul Pogba puzzle and they have Juventus to thank

Few players have split opinion in the Manchester United fanbase in recent years quite like Paul Pogba.

The Frenchman has spent the last half-decade at Old Trafford after a four-year stint with Juventus in Serie A, and during his second spell at United he’s come under massive scrutiny from expectant supporters.

The Pogba experience has been one of sheer frustration for United fans who can clearly see there’s a massive talent there, but consistently getting the best out of the 28-year-old has proved challenging.

He’s sparkled sporadically, one outstanding game followed by a string of mediocre performances that leave fans scratching their heads.

What hasn’t helped matters is that Pogba is the club’s record signing, with United forking out around £89m to re-sign a player they’d let go for nothing four years prior.

The price tag only added to the pressure from fans to deliver on a consistent basis.

“Where is the Juventus Pogba?” has often been the cry from United fans - and pundits - over the course of the last five years, and many would argue that they are still waiting on that version to show up.

But the Juventus Pogba wasn’t the complete player either. He was a big piece in an even bigger jigsaw. Surrounded by the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, Pogba wasn’t overly burdened and was allowed to play his natural game by first Antonio Conte and later Max Allegri. In short, he was the cherry on top of a cake that already had formed solid foundations.

Juve had one of the most complete midfields in Europe and their run to the final of the 2015 Champions League was based on the strength of their defence and midfield, with it being more of the latter than the former.

Following the defeat to Barcelona,