The racist abuse and death threats Paul Pogba received after missing a penalty for Manchester United are disgusting, despairing and saddening. That we can all agree on.

Something few rational football supporters are able to reach an understanding on though, is their opinion of Paul Pogba the footballer. Is he really worth the hassle? Do the tricks mask a lack of effort? Shouldn’t he stop the dancing, get off social media, chop some logs and run up some hills?

Pogba is an elite-level player and World Cup winner. In the Premier League last season he scored 13 goals, provided nine assists, played the 11th-most passes (2069), completed more dribbles (59) than Sadio Mane, Bernardo Silva and all the central midfielders in the division (James Maddison is closest on 50, with Ruben Loftus Cheek on 42) and achieved this despite spending part of the season on the bench.

There are few players in world football who play in quite the same way as Pogba and fewer still who can make the extraordinary seem so simple. His stunning pass to assist Marcus Rashford in the 4-0 win over Chelsea didn't even look difficult.