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Football

09th Aug 2017

Steven Gerrard tore into Paul Pogba for Frenchman’s ‘selfishness’ against Real Madrid

Paul Scholes also demanded an improvement

Darragh Murphy

We’re sure Paul Pogba would even admit to being a bit self-serving.

Flashy players such as the Manchester United midfielder tend to have that selfish streak in them and while they look like geniuses when pieces of individual brilliance come off, nothing frustrates fans more than when opportunities are squandered due to a refusal to play in a teammate.

On several occasions against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, Paul Pogba chose to go alone rather than pass to a teammate in a more favourable position, and he was duly slammed on social media for it.

Given the fact that Pogba is United’s record signing and has a full season of reacquainting himself with the Premier League under his belt, he is expected to kick on in the coming campaign and prove why manager Jose Mourinho put so much faith in him.

Pogba could do a lot worse than attempt to emulate two of the league’s most accomplished midfielders Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, both of whom analysed the Frenchman’s performance in the Super Cup for BT Sport.

Gerrard questioned the mentality of Pogba and accused him of putting his teammates second in the 2-1 defeat in Skopje.

“I think he’s been poor,” Gerrard said. “If we’re being brutally honest, his decision-making out there in the first half hasn’t been good.

“Here he does well cutting in but he has to slide Mkhitaryan in for a chance at goal. Here he gambles to come out and head the ball away and gets underneath it, which could have resulted in another goal for Real Madrid. Here he’s a bit selfish when he goes for the shot when I think he could have played it back to Mkhitaryan again.

“I just think he’s being a bit individual out there rather than thinking about his teammates in the first 45.”

Paul Scholes was also unimpressed with Pogba’s showing on Tuesday evening and he challenged the 24-year-old, as well as three of his teammates, to step up and start coming up with the goods.

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