Pogba leaving will have ‘Viera effect’ on Man Utd

They say Arsenal’s downturn began when Patrick Viera left the club.

They say Manchester United’s downturn began when… oh, wait, Paul Scholes is still there.

However, a Viera-esque figure looms over United’s future in the form of Paul Pogba.

And all efforts were on at Old Trafford to ensure the highly-rated Paul Pogba could make his European debut for Manchester United on Thursday after Rio Ferdinand emerged as a key figure in efforts to convince the highly-rated French midfielder to stay at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson warned Pogba not to let greed get in the way of a bright future in December when he confirmed that the 18-year-old and his representatives were stalling over a new contract amid reports of interest from Manchester City and Arsenal.

But the situation is believed to have improved considerably since then, with the teenager responding well to Ferdinand's intervention and advice.

Pogba should only look at the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck, both of whom were sent out on loan to fine-tune their craft, before being drafted back in.

Pogba, according to the Daily Mail  has been on the bench for United's last five games – making an impressive Premier League debut against Stoke last month – and may be given his first taste of European action at Old Trafford tomorrow night with United leading Ajax 2-0 from the first leg of their Europa League tie.

Ferguson said: 'Rio has become an important figure at the club. He is good with the young players. At the moment, he's working hard on the boy Pogba and talking to him. The young boy is unsure, but Rio is well regarded by him.”

As is Pogba by the club it would seem.