I don't think the midfield is a valid excuse. A lot of Alex Sandro's ascension was tied to his ability to beat his man, put in dangerous crosses, run all match. Nowadays that ability is simply gone. It's not like Pogba took it with him to Man U.
AS never was a player that used teammates or combinations. We would just shovel him the ball and he would somehow carry it up the field by himself. Like I said, it's completely gone.