In the current landscape of football image is everything, not only is important that a player adds something to the side on the pitch but also off it. A marque player selling shirts has become equally as important as a player who can lead the side, and it would be fair to say that Manchester United's Paul Pogba is capable of both.

Pogba is one of the world's brightest talents even at the age of 23, and since his world record return to Old Trafford the Pogba machine has been in overdrive. The Frenchman has become the face of Adidas over the past few months, and all that work came to it's peak last Sunday ahead of United's 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

It was announced that Pogba would be the first footballer to have a Twitter emoji, which was plastered across Old Trafford and United's social media ahead of and during their bitter derby with Jurgen Klopp's men.

With a new haircut it looked all set for Pogba to perform on the big stage, it didn't go according to plan giving away the first-half penalty and ghosting his way through the contest.

It isn't the first time that Pogba has gone missing on the big occasions in a United shirt, with that being the main criticism of his return to the North West of England. This particular occasion was blamed on the build-up to the game, with many citing across messages boards that it proved a distraction.

I understand the argument but the concept of it is ridiculous, and the social media campaign planned months in advance can not be blamed for Pogba having a rare nonperformance.

How the world works

Football is unrecognisable to what it was even a few years ago, but the signing and promotion of marquee players stretches back the decades. The trend can stretch as far back as the 1950's with the likes of Santiago Bernabeu's 'Galaticos', but how these signings are displayed has changed with society.

Social media is a pillar in modern society and has been heavily adopted by the beautiful game, how clubs interact and share with their fans across the globe is mainly done through their various social media channels in our modern times.

This revolution has allowed players to interact more frequently with fans and portray themselves as a character both on and off the pitch. Pogba is certainly one of those characters, which makes him such a sellable asset to both the club and his sponsors.

Whether if it is his haircuts, dancing or any other social media content Pogba is one of the leaders in the social media world in terms of football and it looks like that will stay that way for some time to come.

Bad day at the office

When people have criticised Pogba for his performance against Liverpool, they have failed to mention the excellent weeks that he has had previous, being instrumental in United's excellent unbeaten run.

It seems difficult to comprehend for many people that Pogba can have an off day, which even the best players have and it seems only coincidental that these days have come in the biggest games.

The Frenchman is still only 23 and he will only get better, but it is also important that he is celebrated and promoted to a wider audience and judging by his class which he has shown the other side of the Pogba brand does not effect his game.

Manchester United will take on Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Thursday, January 26 with kick-off at 7:45pm GMT.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.