Pogba signing pushes Man United to front of Premier League pack

Paul Pogba, who just set the world record as the most expensive transfer in the history of the sport at $115 million, makes Manchester United the Premier League’s premier club and top title contender once again.

The prestige of signing the most expensive player in history automatically restores a glow around the Red Devils, but the signing means as much on the pitch as it does off it. With Pogba, Manchester United claims the inside track on the Premier League title race just before the starting gun fires. Officially, bookmakers still give Pep Guardiola and Manchester City the narrow edge, but the Citizens have a manager that is unfamiliar with the rigors of the Premier League and a team that has not exactly stormed the transfer market over the summer.

Any additions Manchester City makes, whether they arrive in January or at the end of August, will require time to adjust to Pep Guardiola’s meticulous and intense tactics. The Premier League, though, is a marathon, so Man City expects to be in the race considering Guardiola’s pedigree and Manchester City’s resources. However, balancing the holiday fixtures at a time when other leagues go on vacation is one midseason hurdle Guardiola has never had to clear.

Jose Mourinho has cleared that hurdle, and he’s done it three times for good measure.

Antonio Conte has never won the Premier League. Neither have Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp or Slaven Bilic. Arsene Wenger has won three league titles, of course, but he hasn’t done it since 2004. A full dozen years ago, Guardiola was still a player with a couple years of journeyman football remaining in Qatar and Mexico.

Pogba, alone, does not make Manchester United the favorite, but the manner in which Manchester United conducted its other business early combined with Mourinho’s experience pushes United to the front of the Premier League pack.

Along with Pogba, Eric Bailly already looks like a great purchase in the back line, as the former Villarreal central defender put in a Man of the Match performance in the Community Shield. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored the match winner in the same Community Shield match, would probably stand out more on the all-time scale if he didn’t play in the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who came over from Borussia Dortmund, may well be the most important signing for the new-look Manchester United when the season hits its full stride. Mkhitaryan scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists in his final Bundesliga season, hinting at his incisive quality in the final third.

United already had a great deal of young talent on the wings and in attack to go along with Wayne Rooney, so the addition of Pogba serves as the vital link from the midfield to the attack. Pogba may be profiled as a deep-lying midfielder and may even fall into a deep role for Mourinho’s United, but the 23-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder with skills on the ball and the ability to create and score vital goals.

In 35 appearances Serie A appearances, Pogba scored eight goals and recorded 12 assists for Juventus during the 2015-16 title winning campaign. His passing and midfield versatility combined with his durability makes Pogba the final vital piece to a squad that is eyeing the gold medal and the top of the podium.

While it is easy to focus on the new faces, especially Pogba, the return of Luke Shaw is an underrated development that deserves its moment in the foreground. Injuries have hampered the 21-year-old’s two seasons at Old Trafford, but the fullback’s preseason form hints that he will be a key component to Mourinho’s defense and attack. Also, Antonio Valencia appears back in form after missing four months during the previous campaign, and Phil Jones is back healthy after a similar stretch on the sidelines. Jones provides depth, and the England international will likely not serve up any corners under Mourinho.

Mourinho tends to build from the back, and Manchester United’s defense looks as solid entering a season as it has since Sir Alex Ferguson departed the club. Perhaps most vital of all, United still has David de Gea, who is widely recognized as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Beyond the players in the team, Mourinho has a special ability to create an aura of belief in his squads and build a strong mentality in his teams. Almost overnight, Old Trafford again seems like a fortress, and the fans appear to love the new manager for his trophy cabinet as much as they do for the players he has brought into the club. With a strong side and the fans behind him, Mourinho guiding the Red Devils to an unbeaten home record is hardly unfathomable.

The shift in mentality and culture arrived with Ibrahimovic. Considering the towering Swede turns 35 in October, Ibrahimovic’s signing signals that United is determined to win the Premier League immediately, which means young Marcus Rashford will likely struggle to get into the team.

Add in that the club is not taking part in the Champions League, and Mourinho’s Manchester United will focus resources to the domestic league with greater emphasis than Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal. Mourinho also has a habit of not rotating his squad, so the lack of Champions League football is an asset for the Red Devils’ Premier League title hopes. Rashford will likely start every Europa League match.

Ultimately, Mourinho’s mastermind plan to methodically return Manchester United to relevance would have fallen short had the club not completed the move for Pogba. The Frenchman not only gives Manchester United the inside position to start the race, but he should also provide the Red Devils the winning edge down the stretch. After all, he is the most expensive player in the history of the sport for a reason, right?

From the manager on the sidelines to the goalkeeper in front of net to the towering striker leading the line, Manchester United has everything it needs to claim the 2016-17 Premier League title. Pogba, though, provides that vital middle piece that should solve the Premier League puzzle and provide Manchester United its first Premier League title since 2013 and its 21st top flight title overall.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass