As Paul Pogba took to the pitch on Saturday at Old Trafford, the Manchester United fans gave him a positive reception as he warmed up in front of the Stratford End. After all, there were some concerns during certain points in the summer transfer window that he would be leaving without a proper farewell.
Paris Saint-Germain have been circling around the Frenchman, who has 11 months left to run on his current contract.
That would have provided a cause for concern for the club because Pogba will be able to speak to foreign clubs about joining them on a free transfer from January 1.
Losing a player of Pogba’s influence and value without a fee would be disastrous for Man United. Not only would they need to replace him, they would lose his obvious quality.
With every day that ticks down in the summer transfer window, Pogba’s value decreases at an alarming value.
The £50m asking price recently mentioned should they decide to cash in would look more like £40m now, with only three weeks to go until the transfer deadline on August 31.
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The 21-year-old endured a frustrating season in 2020-21 after initially joining Werder Bremen before seeing his loan spell cut short in January after 15 appearances and one goal.
Things did not go much smoother when he was snapped up by Club Brugge for the second half of the season, failing to score in the Jupiler Pro League despite his club’s domination of the league.
Chong has been utilised as a winger for the majority of his short career, mainly due to his gifted left foot and ability to take on defenders.
But at Birmingham, he has been deployed in a more central role as a box-to-box midfielder by his boss Lee Bowyer.
With a tall and slight frame, the role certainly suits Chong better than a wing position. The fact he is yet to score a senior league goal since his debut for Man United in 2018 suggests he needed to find another position that maximises his attributes.
And if his debut was anything to go by, it seems he may have found his new calling.
And as he sat in the Birmingham engine room, the Netherlands Under-21 international was everywhere.
It was ironic that with the visitors 1-0 up against Sheffield United in their Championship opener on Saturday, Chong morphed back into a winger and lofted a brilliant cross to far post which was headed in, only to be ruled out for a push.
Then, later in the game he charged back 60 yards to chase down Sander Berge before executing an important challenge on the Norwegian inside his penalty box.
If United’s loan management were observing from afar, they would have been mightily impressed by his display — the Birmingham supporters certainly were.
After Birmingham sealed the 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane, their fans took to social media to hail their new debutant, who was awarded man of the match.
That will please Solskjaer and his team, knowing they made the right decision in sending Chong to a club where he can gain regular football and perhaps become more versatile as a footballer.
After all, it was only two years ago that Chong in a similar position to Pogba: running down his contract, Juventus were one of the clubs interested and United did not want to sell.
Eventually, he decided to renew his deal with the Red Devils, signing a new contract until 2022 with an option of a further year.
When the deal was announced, Solskjaer spoke in glowing terms about the forward having given him his debut in 2018.
“Tahith works extremely hard every day and he is constantly improving. His performances this season, whether for the first team or Under-23s, are testament to his hard work, dedication and to his character,” he told the club’s official website.
“We are pleased with the progress he has made since he stepped up from the academy and are looking forward to continuing to develop his talent.
“Tahith has great potential; given his age, ability and work-ethic, we can see that he has a bright future at Manchester United.”
That belief in his future will be put to the test when he finishes his loan spell at St Andrew’s. By that point, he could be a different player altogether.
At the moment, there is little space for him to develop. Solskjaer is well-stocked in midfield with Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Donny van de Beek at his disposal.
But he can rest easy with the knowledge that if their prized asset decides to leave next summer or before then, he has a promising midfielder in Chong waiting for his chance to impress.
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