Former England and Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer has given a scathing review of Paul Pogba‘s recent performances, branding the Manchester United midfielder’s display against West Ham United as ‘pathetic’.
The Red Devils went down to a 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium on Saturday, already their third league loss of the season, after going out of the League Cup at home to Derby County last week.
Following a very public feud with manager Jose Mourinho in the wake of their defeat to Derby, Pogba lasted 70 minutes against the Hammers before being replaced by Fred.
However, the 25-year-old failed to create a single chance for his teammates during his time on the pitch and Shearer has not held back in his criticism of the former Juventus man.
“He was pathetic again at West Ham and was that bad that Mourinho had to drag him off as he was offering nothing,” Shearer said (via Goal).
“Paul Pogba is Manchester United’s record signing. Just take that in for a moment and consider all the great players who have played for this club.
“Despite being a World Cup winner, he cannot lace the boots of those whose names will go down in history at Old Trafford.
“If he is looking to get the manager out then he is doing a much better job of that than playing football, as his team-mates were not much better. “
Paul Pogba has now provided 11 Premier League assists since the start of last season; Christian Eriksen (12), Leroy Sané (15) and Kevin De Bruyne (16) are the only players with more. pic.twitter.com/s8AMevdMnt
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Shearer also had plenty to say about Alexis Sanchez, who has done anything but impress since moving to Old Trafford from Arsenal in January and didn’t even make the squad for Saturday’s game.
The 48-year-old added: “And where was Alexis Sanchez?
“This is a player they fought tooth and nail to sign ahead of their big rivals, pipping Pep [Guardiola] to his signature. Yet he sums up everything wrong with United.
“He was not even on the bench after a series of poor displays. He has got nowhere near the levels we saw at Arsenal since the move and you have to ask why.”
How does Pogba compare against Europe’s best?
Shearer’s words may resonate with many but, when compared to some of Europe’s best box-to-box midfielders, Pogba doesn’t fare too badly.
The Frenchman is a renowned ball carrier and has completed an average of 1.58 take-ons per 90 minutes this season, more than the likes of Toni Kroos, Ivan Rakitic and N’Golo Kante.
Where Pogba will want to improve, however, is finding teammates further up the pitch – his 15.32 forward passes per game is less than all three aforementioned midfielders, with Kante coming out on top with 22.11 per 90 minutes.
The post Paul Pogba is not fit enough to lace boots of Man Utd legends – Shearer appeared first on Squawka News.
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