Manchester United: Three hopes, one fear

Hope #3: That Paul Pogba can live up to the hype.

There is perhaps no player with more riding on this season than Paul Pogba. Such is the situation after one signs the largest contract ever in professional sports. Such is also the situation when one signs with a club desperate to win another Premier League title. It may not necessarily be fair to place all of Manchester United’s hopes and expectations on the shoulders of a 23-year-old. But unfortunately that appears to be the case for Mr. Pogba.

The good news is that he is not alone. Whether it was intended or not hiring Mourinho and signing Ibrahimovic will help deflect some of the hype, attention, and criticism away from Pogba. Both individuals love the spotlight and have little issue with talking to reports when things are good, bad, or terrible. Having those two egos like that will hopefully ease the pressure off of Pogba and keep the ravenous English press at bay.

This also is not Manchester United’s first time with a big-name signing. Although it has been a bit of time since their last major acquisition of this magnitude this is an organization that knows how to handle the media and how to measure out expectations. It would be wise for Pogba to talk to Rooney and take notes on how to handle the pressure of being Manchester United’s next big thing.

Paul Pogba has all of the skills to become one of the best players in Europe. If he can weather the storm in his first season at Old Trafford and deliver some level of success then he will be on his way towards living up to the hype.

Next: The one big fear: that one transfer window is not enough to change the culture of this team.