Manchester United 'schoolboy' Paul Pogba 'a country mile from being a great player', says Graeme Souness

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Tom Doyle11 February 2018

Paul Pogba plays "like a schoolboy" for Manchester United and is "a country mile from being a great player", according to Liverpool great Graeme Souness.

Pogba became United's record signing after leaving Juventus to return to Old Trafford for £89million in 2016.

The France international enjoyed a successful first season back in Manchester as United won the Europa League and EFL Cup, with the 24-year-old being named the best player in last season's Europa campaign by Uefa.

However, Pogba has at times struggled in a two-man midfield against top opposition, and was substituted off early in the 2-0 defeat against Tottenham by United manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach duly dropped Pogba for United's next game - a 2-0 win over Huddersfield - but backed his player on Friday by claiming he would be hard-pressed to find a midfielder with more potential.

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However, Anfield legend Souness - a frequent critic of Pogba - claims that the French international lacks the tactical understanding of how to play the role, and is way off being one of the game's great players.

"Paul Pogba is capable of great things, but a country mile from being a great player," he wrote in his column for The Sunday Times.

"That distinction is due to his inability to grasp the responsibility that comes with being a central midfielder.

"He is 24 now and an £89m signing, yet he still doesn't understand what is required to play that position properly.

"He plays like a schoolboy running after the ball in the playground."

Mourinho laughed off debate over Pogba's role earlier this week, with United great and Wales boss Ryan Giggs this week suggesting he would be most effective in a three-man midfield alongside more defence-minded players.

"Paul had very professional behaviour and the week was not different to what Paul is every week," the United boss said.

"Paul is a good professional, Paul works well, Paul likes to train.

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"I never had one single problem with him regarding his professionalism because he really is a very good trainer. He is one of the guys who likes to train and enjoys to train.

"In relation to his best position, I had a few laughs over the past week because I heard, I watched, I had a chance to read a few things.

"And I'm not English but I think I understand English enough to understand what I want to say with 'box to box'.

"But with some comments from important people in football I got a little bit confused."

He added: "It depends on the tactical system the team plays. You can play with two, with one, play with three.

"But he will always be a midfield player. It doesn't matter the tactical system the team plays, Paul is a midfield player.

"But then so many opinions, and we are in a world of opinions, people can get a little bit confused but between me and Paul there is no confusion. He is a midfield player and that's it.

"And a midfield player, it's difficult to find a midfield player with more potential than Paul has because Paul has everything."

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