Didier Deschamps, Antoine Griezmann Back Paul Pogba After Jeers from France Fans

France manager Didier Deschamps has defended Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba after he was jeered by some sections of the home support during Friday's meeting with Italy in Nice.

Les Bleus enjoyed a 3-1 win as they stepped up their preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia. However, some fans were clearly dissatisfied with Pogba's performance, and he was whistled by parts of the Allianz Riviera crowd as he was withdrawn in the 86th minute.

Deschamps tried to play down the incident, telling TF1 the stick was for the whole team and not just the midfielder (h/t Sky Sports).

"It's not just for him," the coach said. "At one point, we kept the ball and they whistled too. The public also prefers to score five, six goals, but it's high level. There is a team in front of us. The players do the right thing."

Pogba's team-mate Antoine Griezmann backed the United man to shake off the whistles, suggesting this type of thing is "part of football." He added: "He has had a difficult season at Manchester United, but he has a lot of confidence in himself."

Corentin Tolisso also had his say on the matter, per Goal UK:

As Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail noted, all the building blocks seemed to be in place for Pogba to play well on the night, but he underwhelmed:

It was a season of ups and downs for Pogba at United, as he struggled to find a defined role in Jose Mourinho's team.

The former Juventus man is clearly at his best as part of a three-man midfield, when there is support for him in the middle. However, when a side is built around a player, there's pressure on him to perform, and that's not something Pogba has always done.

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There will be a lot of expectation on him heading into the summer too, as France are among the favourites to win the World Cup.

Pogba has been a key man in the buildup to the tournament and is set to start when Les Bleus meet Australia in their competition opener on June 16.

However, journalist Philippe Auclair suggested they may benefit from another presence at the hub of the side:

France are blessed with options in midfield, with Blaise Matuidi a high-class player left out of the XI for the game against Italy.

Even so, Pogba has the temperament and talent to light up the World Cup. Should he enjoy a strong start to the tournament against Australia and confidence begins to flow, then we may see an altogether different player in Russia.