Once upon a time, not even three years ago, Paul Pogba was up there with the most exciting talents on the planet.

A marauding midfielder who could do it all, relentlessly charging up and down the wing, checking back to further embarrass a nutmegged defender, scoring goals of all types, from ludicrous positions, with absurd bend on his shots and goalkeepers left helpless.

He was totally unpredictable, yet you could rely on him as the best player in Serie A. It was no coincidence that in four years at Juventus he won four league titles, playing 124 of 152 games, aged between just 19 and 23.

Compare that Pogba, the one who was such a joy to watch, who was named in the Serie A team of the season three years running and won the 2014 World Cup Best Young Player award, to the withdrawn, error-prone player who now can't even get into the Manchester United team unless it's when the second team play terribly in an end-of-the-group-stage defeat at Valencia, and you are left wondering what might have been.

He arrived at Old Trafford the most expensive player on the planet, a hefty price tag weighing heavy on his young shoulders and with a huge amount of pressure to transfer his Juventus form to Manchester.