By ALEXANDER HATZIKOSTAS
Manchester United fans will have to wait a week to see their pricy new signing Paul Pogba in action.
After completing his £89 million pounds ($151 million) transfer last week, and finding out their new star will have to serve a one-match suspension, the club will be looking for big things from the 23-year-old Frenchman.
Pogba – now the world's most expensive player – is back at Manchester United after leaving for Juventus in 2012.
It's been preached for years that Pogba has the potential to be the world's best player, an ambition that the man himself has stated publicly.
The potential is evident. However ... it's not so certain which club got the better end of the deal.
This question will be answered over the coming seasons, but there are a few clues to be uncovered by looking at the past.
THE PLAYER
The attacking midfielder is a dominant figure in midfield. Standing 191cm (6 ft 3 in), Pogba has the physical stature to not only dominate play from the ground but to win aerial changes with ease.
Combined with the silky skills that we are accustomed to admiring from the powerful Frenchman, all signs point to Pogba being a successful goal scoring and assist machine.
Yet recent history tells us he is all but that.
Pogba has 34 goals from 178 games in all competitions over the last four years, which is a fair showing for a midfielder but has worryingly only provided 32 assists in that time.
As a creative midfielder who plays just behind the striker(s) and who is now the most expensive player in the world, that is simply not good enough.
Granted, he has spent the vast majority of that time in Serie A where the style of play is slower and more tactical than in Premier League.
But Pogba still lags behind other Serie A midfield maestros such as Napoli's Marek Hamsik and Pogba's replacement Miralem Pjanic, who had their hands in 71 and 57 league goals respectively over the past four seasons, compared to Pogba's 50.
It is also worth noting that former Juventus and current Bayern Munich player Arturo Vidal contributed to 45 goals in only three years in Turin.
What Pogba has managed to do, though, is assert his control over Juve's general play, recording 2566 touches, with only Leonardo Bonucci (2717) recording more last season.
This, partnered with his defensive work rate (55 tackles last season) and his 63 aerial duels, should see Pogba dominate in the ever-physical Premier League.
Discipline will still be a concern for the young Frenchman who was booked on 10 occasions in the 2015/16 season and conceded 87 fouls, the second highest in the Italian league.
Mourinho will be hoping that he can contain the fiery midfielder and get the best out of him on the pitch.
THE FINANCES
No matter how you cut it, £89 million pounds is a lot of money, especially since you can get statistically better players for a third of that price. Of course, finances aren't problem for Manchester United, which is worth US$2.23 billion.
With the revenue to inevitably come in off of Pogba shirt sales, the price to pay now is minimal.
But why did Pogba cost so much? The answer is – potential.
The man has all he needs to grow into the world’s best footballer. Skill, power, technique and a touch of arrogance. All the ingredients that are needed to one day lift the Ballon d'Or.
Critics will say that for that kind of money a club should be getting a finished product, a player such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who will consistently bag 20-plus goals and 15 assists a season.
But Pogba will be a United player for many years to come, and there is every reason to believe he could become the match-winner the club has longed for since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
THE UPCOMING SEASON
In his first interview with his new club, Pogba said he'd come back home and was ready to win titles with the Premier League giant.
"I know this club has to win titles, to win things to win big things. That’s what I'm focused on, just this. I'm ready to go and work on that, and just kill it," the Frenchman told the Daily Mail.
It will be a very interesting season at Old Trafford. So much change has occurred with new players, a new manager and potentially a refreshing performance in this new season.
Pogba will unquestionably have a lot of pressure thrown upon him as the world’s most expensive player; what waits to be seen is how he will cope.
But if United wants to be transformed back into the title winning juggernaut that we have become accustomed to seeing over the years, then this rather large investment seems like a very small price to pay.