Why Paul Pogba's Manchester United return proved a big-money failure

After rejoining Manchester United for a world-record £89 million fee in 2016, the expectations for Paul Pogba were sky-high. 

The Frenchman was supposed to be the catalyst for United's return to the glory of the Sir Alex Ferguson years. While his first season back was fairly  successful, the years that followed failed to reach those heights.

Pogba’s next five campaigns at United were plagued with injuries, filled with controversy on and off the pitch, and ultimately resulted in no silverware. Telegraph Sport assesses the midfielder's second spell in Manchester, and analyses why one of his generation's most gifted talents failed to make his mark at Old Trafford.

Pogba arrived at Old Trafford in the same summer as big-name signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and manager Jose Mourinho – sparking fans' hopes the club would climb up the Premier League table and return to challenging for major trophies. 

The midfielder was seen as a statement signing at the time, however Pogba was only able to help his side win two trophies – the Carabao Cup and Europa League, both of which came in his first season at the club. 

There are several reasons for United’s lack of success in recent years, and Pogba is only a small piece of the puzzle – however, his failure to deliver consistent performances at a high level was one of many problems at United.

Injuries are one factor which had a major impact on Pogba’s career at United. The midfielder proved to be injury prone during his time in Manchester, and that played a huge role in his difficulties. 

There were only two seasons where Pogba featured in 80 per cent or more of United’s games in all competitions, and only two seasons where he started in more than 60 per cent of games. 

In the last three