A hand in the goals, a brilliant display, and a contentious penalty win. We saw every side of Paul Pogba during Manchester United's 2-1 win over Aston Villa. 

While this isn't the £89 million man we see on a regular basis, when the Frenchman is on fire there are few midfielders like him in the Premier League. 

That is why the Red Devils will have heavy hearts when he inevitably leaves Old Trafford for the second time. 

Mino Raiola sparked outrage by claiming Pogba's time at the club was "over" at the start of December. The super-agent chose the night before United's crucial Champions League tie against RB Leipzig, in which they needed a point but ultimately failed to qualify from their group, to make those claims.

They were not exactly news, on the one hand. Yet Pogba has always been plagued by rumours and there are rarely concrete reports on his future which sound even vaguely decisive. 

That's changed with The Mirror this weekend, as the newspaper claim that United have now taken the decision to definitely cash in on the World Cup winner this summer. 

Their stance is due to a growing acceptance that he is not going to sign a new contract. The 27-year-old's current deal expires in 2022.

There are three clubs interested, per the same report. They are long-term suitors Real Madrid, his former club Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain, whose new boss Mauricio Pochettino will have watched the target with a keen eye during his seven years in English football. 

Pogba has only started nine times in the Premier League this season due to injury. He is still valued in the region of £58m on Transfermarkt. 

That reality, together with the prominence of Bruno Fernandes as United's new midfield lynch pin, sums up why Ed Woodward and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have reached the conclusion that they would rather recoup some of the then world record £89m fee they paid for his services in 2016.