Paul Scholes has not held back with his latest comments about Paul Pogba

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By Rob Swan

Published Jul 24, 2018

You'll always get pure honesty from Scholes

Paul Pogba will return to Manchester United training early next month as a world champion.The 25-year-old helped France lift the World Cup earlier this month after scoring a superb goal in the final against Croatia.Pogba, who has been the target of heavy criticism following his return to United from Juventus in the summer of 2016, showed the world exactly what he’s capable of at this summer’s showpiece international tournament.Man Utd fans now want Jose Mourinho to get the same level of performance out of Pogba, who has often flattered to deceive in the two years since his £89.3 million move to Old Trafford.However, Mourinho has dismissed suggestions that the onus is on him to help Pogba hit top gear in a United shirt. Instead, he has called on the Frenchman to fully focus ahead of the 2018-19 campaign."I don't think it's about us getting the best out of him, it's about him giving the best he has to give," the United manager told ESPN FC. "I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give [their] best."Why? Because it's closed for a month, where he can only think about football. Where he's with his team on the training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate."During a season, you can have a big match then a smaller match, then one even smaller, then you can lose your focus, you can lose your concentration, then comes a big match again."So I think it was the perfect environment for him."

Is Mourinho shirking responsibility?

Some people think that is simply Mourinho shirking responsibility.

Pogba has failed to flourish under the Portuguese coach and there have even been murmurs over the past week or so that the World Cup winner wants to return to Juve.

United fans, though, will be desperate for Pogba to stay with them after such an impressive showing at the World Cup.

On that form, there are few better central midfielders in world football.

Paul Scholes has his honest say on Pogba

United legend Paul Scholes has been particularly critical about Pogba’s performances for United over the past couple of seasons.

The retired midfielder, who now works as a pundit for BT Sport, has made some rather eyebrow-raising comments about Pogba ahead of the new season.

Scholes does not feel that Pogba can win the title with United due to his inconsistency, and believes the France international “needs to use his brain” more “to become a top footballer”. Ouch.

“Paul needs to find consistency, I think,” Scholes said on beIN Sport. “You look at his game… he can be brilliant one week, not so good the next. He seems to be a player that you get a performance out of one in every three or four games.

“If you’re going to win leagues, it’s not enough. It’s just not enough.

“He needs to become that commanding player he was at Juventus. He was part of a set structure at Juventus; he knew every week what position he was going to play, who he was going to play with.

“I don’t think that helps him at United because I’ll be amazed if the same team has been named twice in a row and the same formation, there doesn’t seem to be a set way of where it’s going and that could possibly work against him.

“But there’s no doubt the lad has real quality, he’s shown it at this World Cup. He can play, he’s such a strong lad - such a strong player - such a fit lad, he can run, great technique as well, great ability.