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What's the story?
Former Manchester United forward, Louis Saha, has hailed Paul Pogba as the only player in Ole Gunnar Solskjær's squad to have “Ballon d'Or potential”, identifying the midfielder as the club's only world-class player.
In case you didn't know...
Pogba, who remains a polarising figure at Old Trafford, has been heavily linked with a move away from Manchester United all summer but it appears he is set to stay with the club for another season.
The France international initially made a pre-season declaration by stating that he was ready for a new challenge after three seasons with the Premier League giants. This caught the attention of the likes of Real Madrid, who were looking to bolster their squad following a torrid season.
The 26-year-old midfielder has started every league game for the Red Devils this season but his performances, barring his impressive display during their 4-0 win over Chelsea, have come into question once again.
The Frenchman was a victim of racial abuse as a section of fans mocked and abused him on social media. The abuse made its way offline as a sign outside of United's Carrington training ground was found to have been graffitied with the words 'Pogba Out' just last week.
The heart of the matter
Saha, who won the Premier League with United, believes that criticism is inevitable for a player like Pogba and suggested that the Frenchman is often scapegoated for the shortcomings of his peers.
Speaking on Astro SuperSport, he said, “He's got the potential to be one of the best - Ballon d'Or potential. No disrespect to the other players but he could say 'I'm the only one here who could claim to be a world-class player right now.' At the same time, he's always going to be on the spot because he is the only one.”
“If he doesn't perform there's no one that's going to be asked more from. Pogba tries his best, but sometimes there's no one there to help him. And who's going to get criticised for not performing? It's going to be Pogba.”
“He could have hidden, said he didn't want to play, but the first couple games he really did perform. He represents so much in terms of potential for United that they ask him to be perfect but he can't because he's human.”
What's next?
Manchester United will return to action after the international break and will face Newcastle United on September 14.
