Manchester City were rumoured to be after Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba during the transfer window, but baulked at his £70m price tag. But the French midfielder proved just why he is valued so highly as he guided Juventus to a Champions League victory over the Citizens at the Etihad.
It was a familiar tale of woe for City, who have now won just five of their 13 home games in the Champions League since 2011. Having taken the lead through an own goal from Georgio Chiellini, they allowed first Mario Mandzukic and then Alvaro Morata to score, as the Italians recovered to win 2-1.
"It was the same old, same old," says Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph, as City showed an "alarming frailty" against last year's finalists.
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City went into the game on a high after five straight wins in the Premier League, but all the talk of taking their domestic form into Europe evaporated as the Italians fought back to win.
"They craved a signature performance, a big European scalp finally to make their announcement in this competition," says Burt. "But instead it descended into frustration, with Vincent Kompany injured with a calf problem and Raheem Sterling squandering two golden chances with desperately poor finishing."
At the centre of the capitulation was Pogba. He is "a thrilling player to watch, a midfielder of genuine drive and guile," says Barney Ronay of The Guardian, and his opposite number, the once-mighty Yaya Toure, "faded by comparison".
But Toure should not be castigated, for he was up against a superior opponent in Pogba. The former Manchester United trainee who walked out of Old Trafford for free in 2012 is "simply a wonderfully high grade, and wonderfully youthful midfield machine, on the verge of entering what should be a considerable prime," says Ronay.
He is not the finished article just yet, says Matt Dickinson of The Times, but the comparisons with Toure are valid. "Pogba looks so ready to step into the Ivorian's boots that he not only shares the vast range of skills but that slightly maddening languid style. More than matching Toure last night, there were muscular bursts forward, sublime touches belying his physique, yet also a shanked volley met with a shrug."
Pogba chose to stick with Juventus in the summer as other big names, including Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo departed, and rumours circulated of huge bids from some of Europe's biggest teams, City included. And although he is still playing in Italy this season it remains to be seen how long he will stay in Turin.
"Strutting around the Etihad, he showed exactly why he is considered the finest central midfielder in the world," says the Manchester Evening News. "Combining power, pace and technique, he is the complete package. That's what you get for £70m - and perhaps City could yet be tempted to resurrect their interest."
