Jose Mourinho Hasn’t Used Paul Pogba Properly, Insists Thierry Henry
Reuters / John Sibley
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry claims that Jose Mourinho hasn’t used Paul Pogba properly in his first season at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman returned to Manchester United last summer after the Red Devils paid a world record transfer fee of £89m. There is no denying that the transfer created massive expectations among the fans, but Pogba struggled for consistency, scoring just 8 goals and registering 6 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions.
Although Pogba hasn’t been hugely impressive in front of goal, he has created a high amount of chances (53) and made more passes than any other Premier League midfielder (1753) this campaign.
Whether the star midfielder has succeeded or failed since moving to the Premier League is going to be a big debate in the coming days, but former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry believes that his compatriot has been used too deep by Mourinho this season.
“It was also going to be difficult for Paul Pogba. They don’t use Pogba where he should be playing – he’s not a holding midfielder. He likes to play higher off the left. You lose a bit of him when he plays deeper,” said the player-turned-pundit.
However, he also backed the 24-year-old to improve massively in the 2017-18 season, with slightly less pressure on his shoulders.
“When you have a price tag like his, people are always going to talk. It could be good if someone comes in during the summer with a bigger price tag, then people might leave Pogba alone. I think his second season can be better. He’s got much more to offer,” Henry claimed.
The 39-year-old also advised Wayne Rooney to leave the Premier League giants if he fails to establish himself in Mourinho’s plans for the upcoming season.
“Everyone would love to see Wayne Rooney finish his career at Manchester United, but I doubt it. I think he might have to go. When you have a player like Rooney and he’s not playing, What’s the point? If he’s not part of the team then he should go. That’s exactly what John Terry said when he left Chelsea,” added Henry.
Written by Pragadeesh Shanmugam 
United fan since Edwin Van der Sar denied Nicolas Anelka’s penalty to earn a dramatic Euro glory. Firmly believes that Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or until he plays this sport. One time writer for GiveMeSport and Roar. A regular contributor to Sportskeeda and BlameFootball.