United starlet the name on everyone's lips

But Manchester United's promising young midfielder Paul Pogba is already well known in footballing circles.

Unfortunately though the talented young French man was brought to everyone's attention due to an unseemly wrangle over his transfer from Le Havre to United.

The situation was finally resolved last week, after an undisclosed agreement was reached following his move in July last year.

This was a relief after the last similar saga, involving Gael Kakuta, but as with Chelsea's French prodigy, spoke volumes of a coveted young prospect.

Pogba was spotted by Le Havre's chief scout Franck Sale in his home district of Sarcelles, in the suburbs of northern Paris, at the age of 13. Sale wasted little time in recruiting him to the much-vaunted academy that has produced the likes of Vikash Dhorasoo and Charles N'Zogbia in the past.

"I was impressed by his attitude," Sale told football website Goal.com. "He was already like a footballer and had great game intelligence for his age."

Current academy director Frederic Lipka arrived at the club when Pogba was 14, and the youngster made a similarly immediate impression on his new boss.

"I was sure of the quality that I was seeing," he said. "He was a player who was already very efficient at a very young age. There were others that were also good, but the amount by which he was progressing was striking. Straight away, I thought when he reached 17 or 18, he would be ready to step up to the top level."

These strides were quickly recognised at national level, with Pogba making his debut for France under-16s at the age of 15. His impressive displays at junior international level had already begun to garner comparisons with similarly robust France midfielders.

"You can see a mix of (Patrick] Vieira and (Abou] Diaby in Pogba," observed Sale, "a powerful and commanding player who is still good at moving with the ball and dribbling."

Lipka agreed. "Absolutely. They have the same style. The difference between him and Vieira at that age - and I didn't know Patrick Vieira at that age - might be in terms of mentality. On the pitch, Pogba's a player who takes responsibility, who dictates. He leads the play, and he's a leader of men."

His departure was perhaps inevitable, as he garnered accolades for his displays with France's under-17 side, pushing himself ever further forward as the sort of strong central midfielder that Ligue 1 seems to tailor-make for the Premier League nowadays. Lipka hopes that the big move hasn't come too soon for him.

Pogba still has some progress to make, as Sale admits. "His one weakness during his time at Le Havre was stamina," he said, "but he did show signs of progression and surely, alongside coaching staff at Manchester United, he will improve."

Lipka hopes that he will get a chance in reserve-team football sooner rather than later, so he will continue his current rate of development. "He's the type of player that is sought-after, especially in England," he recognised, "and with his physical power he should adapt well to the game there."

After the compensation saga, Manchester United will certainly hope that this is the case. Michael Essien may have slipped through the Old Trafford net, but Sir Alex Ferguson hopes that in Pogba, he has snared the equivalent from Ligue 1's next generation.