Manchester United may have already found Paul Pogba’s replacement

Once again, Pogba’s Old Trafford future has come under question. Do Manchester United already have his replacement in their books?

Almost like a clockwork, Paul Pogba’s Manchester United future has come under question. Reports suggesting that Real Madrid believe his price tag has decreased and plan on making a move for him in the summer have come around once again, but perhaps these rumours have more to them than normal.

Van de Beek is versatile, he can play both as a box-to-box midfielder and an advanced playmaker; both roles Pogba has played since joining the club. He has a tendency to drift to the right, similarly to Bruno Fernandes, but this does not mean they couldn’t work together.

With Fernandes already taking on a leadership role within the dressing room, it isn’t unlikely that he’d be vital in helping Van de Beek fill Pogba’s boots and instructing him on his best positioning.

However, Van de Beek is an intelligent player in his own right. Both on and off the ball, his intelligence is a standout attribute of his. His progression play is outstanding, the majority of the time he makes the right decision. This is done as he spots vertical lanes well, and quickly runs into those spaces and gets picked out by a teammate.

His off-the-ball movement is impeccable, when you watch him you can see him scan the pitch to see where the less-populated area of the field is, so he can move away from pressure to receive the ball or make space for someone else.

An attribute both of them share is their little flicks. This is something Manchester United often use in and around the box, and if Pogba leaves then Van de Beek can almost certainly fill his boots in that respect. As the Dutchman is not known for his goalscoring record, if he can provide service to the likes of Rashford, Martial and Greenwood, then he can leave the midfield goal contributions to Fernandes.

Probably it is time for the Red Devils to cut their losses on Pogba, perhaps the quarterly rumours are not worth the hassle anymore. And with Van de Beek seeming like such a fitting replacement, as well as being a lot cheaper, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Frenchman did end up calling time on his Manchester United career.