Paul Scholes has some advice on how Paul Pogba can improve.
Garth Crooks reckons Pogba needs to stop changing his hairstyle, and Phil Neville blamed a “dry pitch” on the player’s performance against Bristol City in Manchester United’s Carabao Cup defeat on Wednesday night. However, Scholes has some practical advice for the French midfielder, and isn’t talking complete nonsense.
The former United midfielder reckons Pogba needs to keep it simple on the pitch, and try not over complicate things.
Scholes said that the midfielder is very talented, but needs to refine his game if he is to become more consistent.
“He has a big range of attributes. He is fast, his passing game is exceptional. I am sure he will cross these levels,” Scholes told French football magazine So Foot.
“Mentally, he still has a lot of room to improve to become more consistent. He should especially try not to do so many complicated things. He has a high price-tag and maybe that gives him the feeling that he has to show off his talent. But he doesn’t have the ability to dribble past three or four players before hitting it in the top corner. He’ll never be this type of player and sometimes he tries too much to do things that do not match his qualities. If he starts to try to dribble by players, he is no longer himself.”
When not injured or suspended, Pogba has been very good for United so far this season. In his eight league appearances, he has three goals and five assists and is a key player for Jose Mourinho. The midfielder hasn’t lost a league match in which he started since United fell to a 4-0 defeat to Chelsea in October 2016.
The trouble with analysing Pogba’s performances is that people seem to either praise him as the best midfielder in the Premier League, or consider him to be overpriced and overrated. This even extends to pundits’ views, as Graeme Souness doesn’t seem to rate him as a top player at all.
However, Scholes has found the right balance. Pogba is clearly very talented and important to United, but there are aspects of his game he can improve and refine.
