With his future at Manchester United reportedly hanging in the balance, Paul Pogba might be enthused to learn that his stock is still as high as ever at former club Juventus.
After sources told ESPN FC on Wednesday that several of United's senior players are "angry and frustrated" with Jose Mourinho, and footage emerged of a tense training-ground exchange between Pogba and the manager, an Old Trafford exit for the France international could be more likely.
A young Pogba left United as a free agent in 2012 after he grew frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities under Sir Alex Ferguson, but returned in a world-record £89.3 million transfer four years later that United announced to the world with their #POGBACK campaign.
It was meant to be the start of something great, but things haven't quite worked out the way anyone hoped thus far.
Paul Pogba. 🙌 #POGBACK pic.twitter.com/NhHjhWx5XT
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 9, 2016
On Wednesday night, ESPN FC was in Turin and sought to garner the opinions of Juve fans outside the stadium after a 2-0 win over Bologna that extended the Serie A leader's flawless start to the league season to six games.
The general consensus appears to be that the Bianconeri faithful would welcome Pogba's return with open arms, proving that the midfielder's standing among the fans of his old side hasn't waned in the years since he left.
"All fans of Juventus hope that Pogba will come back," one supporter said, "Come back, Paul! Come back!"
Another fan was more circumspect, saying: "There was some news today about him, about Mourinho. He's a great player so yes, if he comes back it will be a good thing for us. We will see. The transfer market is always difficult and I don't know if Pogba prefer to come back to Turin or [seek] a new experience like Barcelona."
But the feeling of most of those outside the Allianz Stadium were more in line with the guy who confidently declared: "Pogba [is] returning to Italy with Juventus next year!"
And there was at least one person among the throng who was hoping for another member of the Old Trafford staff to make a return to Italy, with a match-goer revealing: "I'm a Manchester United fan so... hopefully Mourinho will come [to Juventus] instead."
Of course, the lure of the Camp Nou may well prove to be irresistible, but Pogba shouldn't be overly hasty to rule out a grant return to Turin.
After all, he'd finally get the chance to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, having joined Manchester United (the first time around) in 2009 at the same point the Portugal star departed for Real Madrid.
Pogba's chances of winning a league title would improve exponentially with the reigning Serie A champions, especially as Manchester City don't play in the Italian top flight.
He'd be able to mark his arrival at Juve with a mega-dab and the most expensive and elaborate hairstyle he's ever devised -- the one that might actually see Graeme Souness explode live on air.
Pogba could get his custom #Pogba emoji updated to feature a snazzy black-and-white kit.
Who knows, free from Mourinho's tyranny, Pogba might even start scoring those impudent 25-yard wonder goals again -- you know, like the good old days.
Now wouldn't that be something?