Antonio Valencia Says Paul Pogba Can Be a 'Bigger Star' at Manchester United

Former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia has said Paul Pogba still has room to improve at the club. 

Valencia played with Pogba following the Frenchman's return from Juventus in 2016, until he left the club in the summer.

The Ecuador international told The Athletic's Adam Crafton (h/t Goal):

"Paul is intelligent, a leader, a great player with talent but someone who needs the feeling and connection of a team. He is a star…but he can be a bigger star.

"Paul needs the definitive love of a manager. There are players who have a lot of talent but need to feel important and to have the manager by their side. I think [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer restored that to him."

Pogba has been United's most talented outfield player since he rejoined the club for a then-world-record £89 million.

However, his time at the club has been characterised by United's failure to coax consistently strong performances out of him.

The 26-year-old offered a reminder of the kind of impact he can have in the Red Devils' opening match of the season with two assists, including this superb ball for Marcus Rashford:

However, he was disappointing in United's next three games as they drew 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton either side of a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The midfielder has only played twice since August because of an ankle injury, and it will still be some time until he returns, per the Press Association's Simon Peach:

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Pogba is the only senior figure in the dressing room at Old Trafford:

Despite his inconsistency, it's clear he's been missed by the Red Devils during his absence.

They've won just three of the eight Premier League games he's missed and suffered defeats to West Ham United, Newcastle United and Bournemouth in that time.

Pogba's absence has also compounded United's failure to reinforce their midfield in the summer, despite Ander Herrera's departure on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and Marouane Fellaini's January exit to China.

Sunday's 3-3 draw with Sheffield United left the Red Devils ninth in the Premier League, nine points behind fourth-place Chelsea. If United are to secure UEFA Champions League qualification this season, they need Pogba fit and firing on all cylinders in the second half of the campaign.