“Perhaps we’re now seeing the selfish player Fergie didn’t fancy first time round?”
Graeme Souness doesn’t rate Paul Pogba. He never has and never will. Even when Pogba scored in the World Cup final against Croatia, Souness found it hard to praise him.
The midfielder played a key role in France becoming world champions for the second time, but the former Liverpool captain still wasn’t impressed.
So, now that Pogba is part of a struggling Manchester United team, Souness has more scope to criticise him. And he certainly hasn’t passed up the opportunity to take aim at Pogba.
According to the Sky Sports pundit, Pogba is a selfish player who just cares about looking “cool” and “clever” on the pitch. Souness even claimed that the only reason Pogba is still starting for United is that the club wants to “maintain his transfer value” before they sell him.
“Paul Pogba has rejected the olive branch of the captaincy,” Souness wrote in his column for The Sunday Times.
“‘If you’re not happy, you can’t give your best,’ he said, after the opening win over Leicester. ‘There are things I cannot say, otherwise I’ll get fined.’ I cannot imagine he’s keeping his counsel in the dressing room, though.”
“Pogba plays for himself, it’s all about how cool he looks, showing us how clever he is. Tottenham’s midfielders, Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele, were different gravy — players who keep the ball and move it quickly. I reckon Pogba’s only in the team to maintain his transfer value until United can sell him, because he doesn’t merit his place for any other reason. Perhaps we’re now seeing the selfish player Fergie didn’t fancy first time round?”
Ahead of the trip to Burnley on Sunday, United have lost two of their opening three Premier League games of the season. They fell to a 3-2 defeat away to Brighton and then lost 3-0 to Tottenham at Old Trafford last Monday.
Pogba hasn’t carried his World Cup form into the new Premier League season, but he also hasn’t been one of United’s worst performers.
Yet, it doesn’t appear to matter what he does on the pitch in Souness’ eyes. The former Liverpool and Newcastle manager just doesn’t rate him and never will.
