Pogba continues ascent to the top

Paul Pogba is the complete package. There are several two-footed, box-to-box midfielders who score goals and defend well but Pogba is something else – a superb athlete with pace, strength in the tackle and in shielding the ball, great coordination, trickery, a powerful shot and a Zidane-esque touch. "The prototype of the perfect modern footballer," is how his former Juventus coach Antonio Conte described him.

The French international is also a model professional. "Paul is a very calm, collected and smart boy," said current Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri. "He wants to improve and he proves that daily in training."

In a league where young players have to fight for their chance, Pogba is a dramatic exception. Many thought he would struggle for minutes when he joined Juventus in 2012 aged 19, with Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio occupying the three central midfield slots in Conte's favoured 3-5-2 system. Initially used as a substitute or as a cover for the three more experienced men, Pogba quickly convinced everybody of his exceptional talent with a series of command performances and fabulous goals.

At his first press conference as Juve coach last summer, Allegri said he wanted more from Pogba. "He is one of the best young players in the world but I want him to contribute more to our attacking game with his technical and physical qualities," he said. Taking over a team who had just won a third straight Serie A title with a record points' tally (102), Allegri initially retained Conte's successful 3-5-2. But for the must-win fixture against Olympiacos FC on matchday four in November he changed to a 4-4-2 diamond to accommodate his four star midfielders. Pogba responded by scoring the winner against the Thrylos and continued to excel in the new set-up.

He registered twice more in Serie A away to SS Lazio the same month, then started the new year breaking the deadlock with stunning shots in three consecutive matches in January. Allegri deploys Andrea Pirlo as 'regista' directly in front of the defence, with Pogba and Marchisio playing to the left and right as box-to-box midfielders, and Vidal in a more advanced berth just behind the two forwards.

With his distinctive long strides and high stamina, Pogba can seem effortlessly to be everywhere on the pitch. His remarkable versatility makes him impossible to pigeonhole, and the debate has now turned to which position Pogba should play for him to be at his absolute best.

Many believe the 21-year-old will end up operating just in front of the defence, where Pirlo presently resides. Pogba is adept at short or long passing and his tactical awareness has improved dramatically since coming to Serie A. "In Italy you can work on tactics for hours in training until everything is perfect," Pogba once said. "A player like Andrea knows perfectly every part of the pitch and always knows what to do with the ball. I try to watch his movements and borrow from his experience."

Others, however, reflect that players with Pogba's talent should always play as close as possible to the opposition penalty box. Gareth Bale, the former left-back turned devastating attacking midfielder, is the example often cited to support this opinion. Should he play just behind the strikers – the Vidal role – to derive maximum benefit from his creativity and physical power in order to score and create more goals?

Sometimes versatility is considered a negative attribute as a player can be good in various categories but not great in only one. Yet Pogba appears to excel at everything. "He is a player who possesses strength, quality and the ability to change the pace of the game," said ex-Juve coach Fabio Capello. "There are no other midfielders who can combine his change of pace with his level of technique. He covers the defence, presses opponents and can shoot. Pogba is the only player who truly has everything in his game."

Unsurprisingly, Allegri prefers to focus on what Pogba can bring to his Bianconeri side rather than his spot on the pitch as his No6 continues to make difficult things look absurdly easy while also showing great leadership for one so young. Consider how he took a frustrated Vidal under his wing after the Chilean was substituted during a Serie A game against AC Chievo Verona, calming him down with a few words whispered in the ear. To have that kind of influence in a team packed with veterans such as Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon is simply remarkable.

"Pogba is extraordinary and is growing," Allegri said recently. "We are not discovering his qualities today, he is destined to grow and become the best in the world." It is a view that is very difficult to argue with.

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