When Manchester United started the season on fire, you could be forgiven for believing that the impact of £75 million man Romelu Lukaku was the reason why.

With 11 goals in his first 10 United games, that would be a reasonable conclusion to draw.

However, most United fans have gathered by now that Paul Pogba's influence on the team appears to be the X-factor.

The French superstar returned to Old Trafford for £89 million in the summer of 2016, but many felt we only saw glimpses of his grand talent during his debut season in England.

This term, though, has been different. In just seven appearances in all competitions, the former Juventus man has tallied three goals and three assists.

Lukaku also suffered a frustrating goal drought during the two months Pogba was out injured, but scored upon his return to the side against Newcastle last weekend.

When you think about how vital Pogba has become to the United side, no one has summed it up as perfectly as club legend Eric Cantona.

The former Red Devils striker, who is a compatriot of Pogba's, believes he has the same kind of influence on Jose Mourinho's men that Luka Modric does for Real Madrid.

"I think he is a very creative player and every time you have a good player injured, you suffer," Cantona told FullTimeDevils.

"He is as important [for United] as Modric is for Real. When Modric is injured, it is not the same team and you can see in the last five or six years, every time he is injured, the team is not the same.

"Pogba is the brain of the team and Modric is the brain of Real Madrid."

Considering Modric has played a part in Real securing three of the last four Champions League titles, if Pogba can have that effect on United, his then-world record fee might seem like a snip.

For now, the 24-year-old will be concentrating on staying fit for Jose Mourinho's men and after another 60 minutes in the tank during United's loss to Basel in midweek, he should be relatively fresh for their clash with Brighton at the weekend.