Manchester United fans received a timely fitness boost with Ralf Rangnick bringing Paul Pogba back into the starting XI for their FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough.
The Red Devils had been without the France midfielder since November due to a thigh injury, but he started and played 82 minutes on Friday as they lost on penalties in the fourth round.
But what has also been shrouded in doubt for several months now is his future at Old Trafford, with the 28-year-old just five months away from being able to walk away from the club for nothing.
Paul Pogba played 82 minutes as he returned to action against Middlesbrough on Friday night
Pogba returned to action after months out due to a thigh injury but his future is in doubt
He has been linked with a return to Juventus – the club that sold him to United for £89million in 2016 – as well as LaLiga giants Real Madrid and their French counterparts Paris Saint-Germain.
So while fans are excited to see him return, will he stake a claim and stick around at the club, or use his comeback from injury to put himself back in the shop window for a summer exit?
Well, whatever worries United fans hold about Pogba’s future appear not to be shared by the club’s hierarchy.
Reports from ESPN this week claimed club officials, including football director John Murtough, have reportedly asked him not to be hasty with his decision on his future until they appoint a permanent manager.
The France midfielder had been out since November and was yet to play under Ralf Rangnick
The Red Devils hope Pogba will be persuaded to stay rather than leave for nothing this summer – depending on who takes the Old Trafford hotseat.
If that is the sole criteria that United need to get right, then sticking with the man currently at the helm may not be the worst shout.
Rangnick has not ruled himself out staying beyond this term – even though he is set to take on a two-year consultancy role – while PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag are on a five-man managerial shortlist too.
But United’s current interim boss is understood to have won Pogba over with his vision for both him and United moving forward.
Rangnick has reportedly started to convince Pogba that a midfield and team can be built around him in the coming seasons, while he also wants him to become a driving force behind the scenes.
But he has just five months left on his deal at Real Madrid and Juventus are interested in him
However, even Rangnick himself didn’t appear too confident earlier this month, adding he believes Pogba will give his all for United until the end of the season — if only to secure a big-money move away this summer.
‘By the way, my contract as a manager is also expiring in the summer,’ said United’s interim boss ahead of United’s win at Brentford last month.
‘We have the same goal. We have the same ambition to be as successful as we can possibly be in the next three or four months.
‘For me, it’s not a question if a player has an expiring contract. The question is how much does he still want to be a part of this group? How much does he still feel emotionally and physically on board?
Paris Saint-Germain could also chase his signature if he leaves United for free this summer
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‘As long as this is the case, why shouldn’t Paul Pogba – now after two-and-half months of injury and fully fit again – also want to show up?
‘He wants to show the fans of Manchester United, the board, the whole world what kind of player he can be. Even if it’s only to show enough for a new contract elsewhere, he will be highly motivated to do that.
‘Why should I then not play him? There is a difference of how players deal with their current situation. If they handle that in a professional way, of course I will play players although they have a contract expiring in the summer.’
It is more Pogba’s lack of discipline on the field than off it which has frustrated United fans this season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dropping him to the bench at times due to his defensive shortcomings in a midfield two before his sacking.
Pogba played that position though for United in his most recent game for the club pre-return, the 2-2 Champions League draw against Atalanta on November 2.
Pogba had not played for United since their 2-2 Champions League draw against Atalanta
But whether United are playing in that same competition in 2022-23 and if the players can provide a positive end to the season could ultimately determine if Pogba extends his six-year stay at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils currently sit fourth in the table but have played more games than Arsenal and Tottenham – who can overtake them with wins in their matches in hand – while West Ham and Wolves are also breathing down their necks.
And Pogba’s return could boost chances of creating some sort of a gap between them and the other teams, with United not due to face any of the so-called ‘Big Six’ until early March and the Manchester derby.
But Tottenham and Liverpool also come in the same month and they also have to travel to Arsenal and welcome Chelsea before the end of the season in May.
Chris Kamara therefore may be vindicated in telling Rangnick to focus on getting the best out of Pogba and Bruno Fernandes – rather than Cristiano Ronaldo – to secure a top-four spot, to build up momentum before those crucial games.
Plenty has gone on at Old Trafford since Pogba registered those seven assists in their opening four Premier League games of the season. Solskjaer was keen to play that figure down but something definitely appeared to be clicking.
United would be well-advised to get Pogba and Bruno Fernandes (R) firing together again
Another question that remains however is whether simply qualifying for the Champions League will satisfy Pogba, especially as the club are also set to finish well off the pace of Premier League leaders Man City.
This becomes pertinent given the success of his suitors in recent seasons, and the fact that at 28 his next contract is likely to be his last big-money deal.
Real Madrid look on course to win a third LaLiga title in six years this term, while PSG are 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
The French side have also reached the semi-final and final of the Champions League in the last two seasons, and even then there is expected to be a fair amount of change at the Parc des Princes in the summer, including a potential deal to take Pochettino to United.
That is also down to recent failures to win the league last season and being knocked out of the French Cup in the last week, but PSG remain one of the few clubs on the planet that could potentially offer Pogba an increase on his current £295,000-per-week wages.
Former club Juventus meanwhile may be off the pace currently and are currently the weakest of the projects being sold to Pogba outside of United, but the Serie A giants have not failed to qualify for the Champions League since 2011-12.
But the protracted saga involving Pogba is yet to show any sign of coming to a swift conclusion
There is also a theory that if Pogba really wanted to stay at United, he would have put pen to paper by now following the long, protracted saga that began when Mino Raiola claimed his time at United was over in late 2020.
On the flip side, it does appear that there is now a glimmer of hope of convincing a player the club earlier on in the season had become resigned to losing for free this summer to stay.
Crucially, while there are said to be a number of cliques developing in the Old Trafford dressing room, Pogba remains a popular figure among his team-mates and would likely relish a leadership role.
But neither the player nor the club appear in any great rush to resolve his future, and that means United fans face a nervous five months to see whether Pogba’s legacy at Old Trafford remains one of undoubted but ultimately unfulfilled quality or not.