Mourinho’s way could not be working for Paul Pogba and Michael Owen thinks the Manchester United midfielder would be one of the best players in world football if he was playing under Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola.
The France midfielder has been in and out of Jose Mourinho’s starting line-up this season with the pair’s relationship reportedly souring over the last six months.
Pogba has scored five goals and provided four assists for his team-mates in all competitions this term but his performances have come in for criticism.
“I’m of the opinion that he is totally world class playing in a certain team in a certain way,” Owen said on BT Sport. “I get very frustrated watching him because I know he’s better than what we see week in week out.
“I’m almost siding with him because I don’t think the way the team plays or the way the manager manages him is conducive to getting the best out of him.
“I think the manager has to take some of the blame – the system, the way he plays. I remember when he first signed they were trying all kinds of midfielders in and around him trying to get the best out of him.
“I feel sorry for him from that point of view but, as a player, it is frustrating when you watch him because he still looks like a 16 or 17-year-old learning the game. I think he could do a lot worse than just going to watch a load of videos of Paul Scholes – see when to play one touch, see when to take loads of touches, when to beat players…
“I think he makes so many bad decisions in games, which is frustrating because if he was playing as he should… if he was playing under a Guardiola or a Klopp or someone like that I think we’d be looking at certainly one of the best few players in the world, but at the moment we can’t say that.”