The Pogmentary: Paul Pogba documentary evades Manchester United struggles to celebrate the brand

The most striking thing about The Pogmentary – except that The Pogumentary would surely be a better title – is that very little of it focuses on the highlights of Paul Pogba’s last six years at Manchester United. “What highlights?”, you might ask. Well actually, there were a few of them along the way, and given this five-part documentary somehow runs for a whole two-and-a-half hours, they certainly had enough room to fit them in.

But there is no mention of winning the EFL Cup and Europa League in his first season back, for example. There is a glimpse of his match-winning Manchester derby performance at the Etihad but that is all. Even the excitement that surrounded his £89m move from Juventus in 2016 is largely glossed over, despite him joining for what at the time was a world record fee.

With his contract set to expire at the end of this month, there is no footage from Pogba’s sixth and final season at Old Trafford and barely any discussion about it either. In fact, it would be possible for those unfamiliar with his story to drop in and out of The Pogmentary and not realise that he is, at the time of its filming, a United player. And you imagine that is the point.

This is not a post-mortem of Pogba’s time at United. It is not even an attempt to put a positive spin on it. It is instead a portrait of a player who is ready to write a new chapter in his career and eagerly awaiting the opportunity to do so. Mostly filmed last summer, it is only being released now with Pogba on the verge of a return to Juventus, but it could also act as an alternative to a glossy brochure for any potential suitors.

Rather than Pogba’s troubles to meet expectations at Old Trafford, we largely see him as a loving husband, a committed father and