Paul Pogba Could Be a 'Phenomenal Central Defender,' Says Jose Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes Paul Pogba has all the attributes to be a top-class central defender and has backed the Frenchman to eventually find his form having underwhelmed since his £89 million summer return to Old Trafford.  

United broke the world record to buy the central midfielder back from Juventus in August four years after he left the club to move to the Old Lady.

Pogba has failed to really sparkle in the Premier League since his Red Devils return, but Mourinho insisted he will come good and also backed the 23-year-old's potential to drop to a deeper position in the future, per Sky Sports' Andy Burton and Richard Morgan:

"

He can play in so many positions. The problem is not the position. The problem is not the tactical system. The problem is, in my opinion, somebody that comes from a different style of football and needs this time to be at his best level in football that is really difficult to play, especially for midfield players. [...]

He's a top player and I think he could be a phenomenal central defender. With the quality of his pass, with his aerial game, with his agility in such a big body, for his defensive side of the game, coming from the back with the ball, he would be a phenomenal central defender, too.

"

Mourinho has fielded Pogba in a number of different positions in the 2016-17 Premier League season, playing him initially in a deep-lying role in a midfield two, but more recently pushing him forward to play behind striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In his most effective performance to date for United, he played on the left of a midfield two next to Michael Carrick and netted twice in the recent 4-1 UEFA Europa League win over Fenerbahce.

The Times' Henry Winter hailed the potential of the Carrick-Pogba partnership after the victory:

However, the 35-year-old was dropped back to the bench and Pogba pushed forward again for United's next fixture, Sunday's 4-0 humbling at Chelsea, where the France international failed to make an impact, per Squawka:

Mourinho is convinced that all Pogba needs is time, and he predicted that the France international will be a huge asset to United for the best part of the next decade. The United boss also admitted the Red Devils never expected him to hit top form immediately, per Burton and Morgan:

"

He has unbelievable potential. He has years and years to develop his game, so that expectation and investment from the club is based on that—a super player for the next seven or eight years.

He's getting better and better and better at every level. That's our expectation. We don't expect Paul to arrive here and the next day to be unbelievable. But the other thing is that we trust him so much that we pass to him this kind of feeling.

"

United could do with Pogba reaching his best sooner rather than later. The thrashing at the hands of Mourinho's former club, Chelsea, was the Manchester outfit's third winless game on the bounce in the Premier League.

They sit seventh in the table—six points back from leaders Manchester City—and none of their four marquee summer signings are having much of an impact.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan can't make the first team, Eric Bailly is now injured following an excellent start to the campaign and Ibrahimovic has scored just once in his last eight appearances.

Next up for United in the Premier League is a home clash with Burnley on Saturday, and the Old Trafford faithful will hope to see Pogba finally show his worth and propel their side back to winning form.