Zlatan Ibrahimovic Comments on Paul Pogba Pressure, Twitter Emoji and More
Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has backed team-mate Paul Pogba to cope with the pressure that comes with being the world's most expensive footballer.
Pogba endured an afternoon to forget in the Premier League on Sunday, as he turned in arguably his poorest performance in a United shirt in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
The midfielder conceded a first-half penalty after handling the ball from a corner, but Ibrahimovic equalised late on to salvage a point for the hosts.
Speaking about the focus on Pogba, the former Sweden international suggested he has what it takes to thrive amid this intense scrutiny, per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian:
"Pressure is something I enjoy. I don't know Paul personally to be able to answer that for him. But I think he likes it also because, without pressure, we would not be on our toes at the top level. If you want to play at the top pressure is 24 hours and if you play well or better the pressure becomes even greater. So it's something that we learn from and something we have to handle because we belong to the top. Paul belongs at the top absolutely and the pressure will be there.
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Since moving to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer for a world-record fee of £89 million, every touch of the ball Pogba has made has been analysed.
After a testing start to the season, the 23-year-old has slowly found his feet in the Premier League. Pogba was at the hub of plenty of United's best performances in 2016 and has already grabbed four goals and three assists this campaign.
Football writer Sam Pilger hailed the overall impact of the former Juventus man in the aftermath of his poor display against Liverpool:
The buzz around the player was epitomised ahead of the contest with Liverpool, as Pogba became the first footballer to have a personalised emoji on Twitter. United's official website even ran a story on the development and advised supporters how to activate it.
Ibrahimovic also spoke about the influence social media has on emerging players, noting that it's not something he had to cope with when making strides as a young footballer.
"When I started to play football there was no social media, none of these things," the veteran striker said. "But it's part of the game now. What is too much, what is too little? We don’t know. We just follow the game. We are professional; we train like always, try to do our best every game."
It's a buzz that has seen Pogba compared to some giants of the sporting world recently, per Matteo Bonetti of beIN Sports (h/t Bleacher Report UK):
In Ibrahimovic, the United midfielder has a tremendous role model to learn from. While the confidence of the Swedish forward isn't popular with all football supporters, he is a player who has attracted a lot of attention down the years—not to mention plenty of criticism—but he has consistently delivered at the highest level.
Indeed, the 35-year-old added that, ultimately, outside pressures don't impact on him because he expects so much from himself.
"I really want to do, not perfect, more than perfect, every game, even in training," the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker said. "I'm not happy if I don't win in training, so imagine what it's like in the games. That is the pressure I put on myself, and so your pressure becomes like a kindergarten for me."
Overall, United supporters will be pleased with the impact Pogba has had since his return to Old Trafford.
Already this season, the glittering performances have offset the disappointing ones; you sense that is a trend that will continue throughout his United career.
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