
By Dave Marshall
Manchester United signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic last summer amidst barrage of questions as to whether the veteran striker could cut it with the best players in the league but with 17 Premier League goals and three trophies in the bag, no one is asking any question anymore.
The charismatic Swede is yet to extend his stay at the club following his knee injury, back in April, but it seems that 24-year-old midfielder, Paul Pogba wants to emulate the legendary striker.
Pogba struggled to impose himself on the division after arriving last summer, but has grown in confidence in pre-season and looks set to be a leader at Old Trafford.
Going into next season, United can count only the likes of David de Gea, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Michael Carrick as experienced members of the squad, but Pogba is now ready to accept increased responsibility. Jose Mourinho stated earlier this summer that the former Juventus man has the profile to be United captain in the future as he is the most experienced player among the younger players.
As quoted by Daily star, Pogba talked about Zlatan: “Obviously, Zlatan was a leader, he was a big leader.
“He always helped the team and even when he wasn’t playing he was a leader outside of the pitch.
“I have been here for one season and I came here to hopefully be a leader for the team,” he added.
Pogba is a classy all-action midfielder that has earned praise for his deftness on the ball – despite his hulking frame – passing, and ability to orchestrate play from deep.
He signed for £89m from Juventus and made 51 appearances for the Red Devils last season, scoring 9 times. He has leadership experience too, having captained France U20s to World Cup glory back in 2013.
Paul is a good player no doubt. He has the attribute to becoming world best. But to achieve that he has to make things simple for himself especially in big matches. Simple passes would help him excel with his game. Keep it simple. For captaincy,Paul has a lot of work to do. He is to communicate with the referee not be criticizing his own players for every little error. He is also victim of error. Captain has to motivate the team even if the team is down.