This seems less outrageous than it would have done a year ago
Paul Pogba has endured a difficult season at Manchester United. José Mourinho has struggled to find a system that gets the best out of him without sacrificing his key principles, Pogba himself has struggled to adapt to play in a double pivot, he’s been dropped, injured, and has generally underperformed.
There is no doubt that he’s a talented footballer, and that José Mourinho’s tactics are sometimes unnecessarily negative, but this season has highlighted some flaws in Pogba’s game that he will need to iron out if he is to justify the £89m price tag.
Pogba was still included in the France squad for the upcoming friendlies, while Geoffrey Kondogbia was left out despite a good run of form at Valencia.
After Pogba’s dismal display against Sevilla in the Champions League last week, some believe Kondogbia was unfortunate to miss out on a call-up from Didier Deschamps.
Valencia boss Marcelino believes there is “no comparison to be made”, between the two players, very content with how well Kondogbia has settled in La Liga.
“Kondogbia didn’t only play brilliantly against Sevilla, but he has had a lot of excellent games throughout the entire season,” he said ahead of Saturday’s contest with Deportivo Alaves.
“He is a key player for us, he is important for how we play and although I don’t follow how the other French midfielders are getting on, recently I don’t think that some of them would be close to how Kondogbia is playing.
“We saw Pogba play against Sevilla and Kondogbia against the same opponent and there isn’t any kind of comparison to be made.
“As always, however, I have total respect for the national team managers and as Valencia boss I am happy that he is here with us.”
In last weekend’s clash between Valencia and Sevilla, Kondogbia picked up two assists, both goals slotted home by Rodrigo Moreno, another player who had underwhelmed at Mestalla before Marcelino revived him.
