A club legend has questioned the Frenchman’s future at Old Trafford following his disastrous display against the Reds
Manchester United “won’t miss anything” if Paul Pogba doesn’t play again, according to Paul Scholes, who slammed the “disrespectful” midfielder after his horror showing against Liverpool on Sunday.
Pogba had an afternoon to forget as United were thrashed 5-0 by their arch-rivals at Old Trafford, with the Frenchman guilty of gifting Liverpool their fifth goal before being shown a red card for a two-footed challenge on Naby Keita.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought Pogba on at half-time to try and limit the damage after a disastrous first half for his side, but he only made matters worse, and Scholes has now called his future at the club into question.
What’s been said?
Transfer rumours have surrounded Pogba throughout his second stint with United, who paid £89 million to bring him back from Juventus in 2016, and he is reportedly stalling on signing a new contract amid interest from Real Madrid.
Pogba’s performance against Liverpool was the final straw for Scholes, with a club legend telling Premier League Productions of his disappointment in a disruptive figure: “Paul Pogba coming on to the pitch at half-time to try to help the team and maybe get a little respectability, tries to stand on the ball, tries to show how strong he is in the middle of the pitch… gives the goal away.
“Then later on gets sent off with a ridiculous tackle, now you’re 5-0 down with 10 men. You’d have to think, if Ole’s still a manager there, will we see Pogba again in a United shirt?
“He’s caused mayhem over the last couple of years. Everyone knows what a talent he is, everybody trusts him, every manager trusts him, tried to give him his head and let him be the player he’s been.
“But with all the commotion, not signing his contract, almost holding the club to ransom, and then he comes on and does something like that. It’s not Ole’s fault, don’t get me wrong, but that’s part of it that almost summed the United performance up today.
“Look, he probably will play [again] won’t he? But I don’t think they will be missing anything if he doesn’t. He’s had numerous chances, he keeps saying he lacks consistency, but that is just [a lack of] discipline and disrespect for your manager and your teammates, what he’s done today.”
Scholes on Solskjaer’s tactics
United’s latest Premier League defeat came on the back of an unconvincing 3-2 victory over Atalanta in the Champions League, during which Scholes initially saw major flaws in Solskjaer’s tactical set-up.
Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick after Naby Keita and Diogo Jota opened the floodgates at Old Trafford, with an ex-United midfielder adding on the space Liverpool were given in the final third: “To say a disappointing day would be a complete understatement.
“I think we all realise it’s been difficult, I just think the manager got caught up in the emotion of the comeback [against Atalanta] on Wednesday night. We keep going back to that game but you were never going to do that against Liverpool, they have too much quality.
“I don’t think it was a lack of effort, I think tactically they were set up in a way where this could happen and unfortunately it did happen.”
