Paul Pogba has signed for Manchester United and the world has gone mad.
If not for the cinematic trailer the club put out after confirming his arrival, or the rap video that was shot by Adidas to celebrate how many shirts they are going to sell now, then for a comparison being drawn between Pogba and former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder Roy Keane.
Rio Ferdinand was speaking to Independent.ie ahead of the new Premier League season, and he was asked what he thinks about the possibility of Pogba growing into a midfield talisman like the great Keano, but Rio was having none of it.
Quite rightly, he explained that the comparison was way off.
Pogba is not the new Keano, far from it. Pogba is a very different kind of personality when you compare him to Roy, but we can all see the talent he has got and that is why United are trying to get him back now.
Roy was a driving force for our team, he was in your face and he demanded high standards of everyone around him. That’s what made him such a great winner and a true champion for United. There will never be another Roy Keane. He was a one-off for a variety of reasons.
Pogba is not like that. I was at United when Pogba was there first time around and he is a kid who will need to be handled correctly.
He is a bit of an extrovert off the field and doesn’t always do things in a conventional fashion, but there is nothing wrong with that if he is producing the goods on the pitch. It doesn’t matter what anyone says about the fee that Juventus are getting for Paul Pogba because that is the going rate and the money Man Utd bring in from a variety of sources means they can justify this kind of transfer.
You are investing in massive potential. This guy could be the best midfielder in world football for the next ten years and if he spends those years at United, then it would be a good investment.
Spot on from Ferdinand, as in reality Pogba and Keane couldn't be any more different, not only in their playing styles, but in their personality.
Could you imagine the look Keane would give if someone suggested he appear alongside a rapper to unveil his signing for a sportswear company? We could actually pay good money to see that.
Pogba may go on to become a legend at Manchester United, but if he does so it will be a long way away from how Roy Keane went about doing it.
