Paul Pogba 'Not as Good as He Thinks He Is,' Says Jamie Carragher
September 27, 2018
Paul Pogba is guilty of believing his own hype and is not enough of a team player, according to Jamie Carragher.
The Sky Sports pundit was critical of the Manchester United midfielder after he and manager Jose Mourinho appeared to have a training-ground fallout on Wednesday. Pogba was left out of the Carabao Cup penalty-shootout defeat with Derby County the day before.
Carragher said (h/t MailOnline's Jordan Seward):
"If Mourinho goes you won't see a new Pogba.
"He's not as a good as he thinks he is. His big problem is his understanding of the game. You can sum up his performances in his last two games—a great goal vs. Young Boys, but he was at fault for Wolves' goal.
"He would have the big clubs going in for him, but Barcelona would be the biggest ill-fit for him. Pogba plays for himself. He's not really a captain. He's let his agent speak ill of the club. He's not the man."
Carragher further discussed the issues between Pogba and Mourinho over footage of their tense training-ground exchange:
Sky Sports Football @SkyFootball🗣 ‘Pogba is not as good as he thinks’ 🗣 ‘I can’t think of a more ill-fitting player for Barcelona’ Jamie Carragher has weighed in on the situation surrounding Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba after today's training ground disagreement! 💥 Watch live on Sky Sports Football now! https://t.co/QtbnFGQbxs
Pogba was rested for Tuesday's game against Derby, and it is thought Mourinho took exception to an Instagram post the World Cup winner made from the stands during the game.
However, there was a misunderstanding in relation to the post, per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson:
Nevertheless, prior to the apparent bust-up, Mourinho had also taken the decision to drop Pogba as vice-captain.
The pair have been rumoured to have a fractious relationship for some time. The 25-year-old has not helped dispel such speculation given he recently publicly called for United to play more attacking football at home in an apparent dig at Mourinho's tactics.
As Carragher alluded to, he also allowed his agent, Mino Raiola, to post tweets discussing his exit from the club in August.
ESPN FC's Scott Patterson is fed up with the France international:
Pogba has contributed four goals and two assists in seven matches this season, but his level of performance from game to game—and even within matches themselves—has varied wildly.
While there may have been a misunderstanding over Tuesday's social media activity, Pogba's failure to address the comments made by his representative was an error on his part.
It's too late to do that, but if Pogba wants to silence his critics and rebuild his relationship with Mourinho, there's only one way he can achieve that: deliver consistently on the pitch.