Paul Pogba reveals his inner monster, but will he be staying at Manchester United?

THE big question is whether the new season will bring a new Paul Pogba.

But the player himself insists he won’t be any different.

Pogba began the campaign wearing the captain’s armband for Manchester United and scored the opening goal of the season in their 2-1 win over Leicester City.

His penalty after just three minutes was the prelude to a strong performance in the centre of midfield, which earned the praise of manager Jose Mourinho afterwards.

It came less than four weeks after he scored in the World Cup final for France as they became World Champions.

He had only returned to training last Monday and despite having no warm-up games, he delivered a performance with Mourinho describing him as “a monster”.

Pogba’s displays in Russia were more like what everyone expected from the powerful midfielder when he came back to Old Trafford two years ago.

At times last season, he and his manager seemed at loggerheads with Pogba seemingly unable to fulfil the requirements that the Portuguese wanted.

As ever with the colourful Frenchman, nothing runs smoothly.

Talk emerged last week of his agent, Mino Raiola, trying to engineer a move to Barcelona for his client.

However, Pogba is keen to dispel any ideas that the player on display for Les Bleus was different to the figure seen every week at United.

“You have to know one thing,” he declares.

“A player that gets chosen and is happy, you always feel more comfortable than when he’s not happy.

“That’s all I say.

“I am the same. I am the same, it’s the same Paul Pogba.

“It’s a different team, obviously. It is a different team.

“I still enjoying playing football, I still love football and I still give my best with the team and for the team.

“Like I said, when you are comfortable, when people believe in everyone or are confident and are good in the head, it’s going to be easier.”

Wearing the captain’s armband on Friday night seemed to bring extra responsibility to Pogba’s game as he loudly barked orders at his team-mates as Leicester tried to mount a fightback.

It was especially prevalent as he lined up in midfield alongside United debutant Fred and youngster Andreas Pereira.

But Pogba refutes the idea that he needed to be the skipper to display any extra leadership.

Although he does admit that recently retired Michael Carrick and new first-team coach Kieran McKenna did have a quiet word with him before the match.

He wasn’t the official captain for France this summer but it didn’t stop him from delivering a passionate team-talk in the dressing room ahead of the World Cup final.

“Our coaches, Michael and Kieran came and spoke to me about being captain,” he says.

“They talked about it being a big club and people looking up to me, with me coming from the academy and stuff like that.

“Obviously, if I can show the example as well for the players, if I can push the players and the players push me and they trust me, it will be easier as well for me.

“But it’s not having just the armband.

“I have always been talking to my team-mates.

“I am someone who is not a role that I give to myself.

“I just try to help the team as much as possible, like they helped me, too.

“Having the armband it’s not like, ‘Oh, I will show that I am a real captain and have to do extra work’.

“No, I just have to be myself and do what I know, do what I can do and do what I know to do.”

Yet Pogba is elusive on the point of just how settled he is at Manchester United, as he continues to maintain his enigmatic personality.

“There is a point doing things for money and there is a point doing things because you love it,” he says.

“Are you enjoying what you do? If you are not happy, you cannot give your best.

“And then you cannot play your role.

“But there are things that I cannot say, otherwise I will get fined.”