Paul Pogba failed Manchester United more than they failed him

The statement ran to 804 words, which was not the number of midfielders Manchester United scouted before re-signing Paul Pogba in 2016.

As dignified as United's eulogy was, a more memorable epitaph is Pogba's last appearance at Old Trafford. He was booed and repeatedly urged to "F--k off". At full-time, the chants restarted, Pogba cupped his ear to the Stretford Enders and disappeared down the tunnel.

That was the only standalone chant Pogba earned in his six years back at United. He will have embellished the social media impressions and appeared popular on the sentiment graphs but Pogba never truly bonded with the matchgoers, always the most reliable gauge of a player's bond.

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"Strength in unity," the club Twitter account posted, quote-tweeting Pogba decrying a news story two days after the 5-0 annihilation by Liverpool.

Pogba showed little strength or unity at a club he repeatedly attempted to leave. He was offered to Manchester City in 2018, fluttered his eyelashes at Real Madrid in 2019, coincidentally bumped into Zinedine Zidane in Dubai later that year and Mino Raiola promised his United career was "over" in December 2020.

Solskjaer's man-management of Pogba was often tactful but also blinkered. When Pogba was filmed remarking it was "maybe time for a new challenge", Solskjaer risibly suggested there was a media agenda against him.

Raiola spoke on Pogba's behalf. Not once did Pogba retract his late agent's comments and when a German newspaper claimed Pogba would seek representation elsewhere if Raiola did not engineer a move in 2021 Raiola ridiculed them in an Instagram post.

"When u don't know don't talk @bild," Pogba commented.

Pogba's second spell