Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has extended his recent criticism of Paul Pogba by suggesting the club ‘would not miss anything’ if he never puts on the shirt again following his red card in the Liverpool capitulation.
The Red Devils were battered and bruised 5-0 by Jurgen Klopp’s men on Sunday afternoon, who inflicted the highest winning scoreline by an away side in the historic derby. The manner of Man Utd’s Premier League collapse has seriously intensified the spotlight on an under-fire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian’s players didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory either, with Harry Maguire enduring one of his worst performances in a Man Utd shirt; Mason Greenwood hooked at half-time after a tame 45 minutes; and Cristiano Ronaldo unable to produce the goods in the final third.
However, it was Pogba who came in for the most criticism by Scholes in his post-match analysis on the defeat, believing the Frenchman, who came on at half-time before being sent off for a dangerous challenge on Naby Keita (which forced the Guinean off the pitch), lacked ‘discipline’ and ‘respect’.
“Paul Pogba coming on to the pitch at half time to try to help the team and maybe get a little bit of respectability about it, tries to stand on the ball, tries to show how strong he is in the middle of the pitch… gives the goal away,” Scholes told Premier League Productions.
“Then, later on, he 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 Paul Pogba again in a United shirt? He’s caused mayhem over the last couple of years. Everybody 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 which 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.”