Paul Pogba is a ‘true leader’ whose ability will be recognised at this World Cup, according to France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Manchester United’s Pogba has been one of Les Bleus’ brightest performers in a run that has taken them to a quarter-final clash with Uruguay on Friday.
Didier Deschamps has deployed the 25-year-old along with more defensive-minded midfielders N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi, and Pogba has produced the type of commanding all-action performances United fans can claim to have only fleetingly seen over the past two seasons. French fans have also yearned for consistency, though, with Pogba poor in the Euro 2016 final when the hosts lost to Portugal in extra-time. Tottenham keeper Lloris believes his international colleague is developing with more experience and has backed him to deliver in this tournament’s latter stages.
‘I think he’s maturing, he’s growing,’ Lloris told a pre-match press conference. ‘He’s accumulating experience, be it with Manchester United, Juventus – now he’s lining up more seasons, more caps. He’s starting to grow in the locker room also and that is a good thing because he’s a true leader. He’s a very ambitious player. We all know he’s extremely talented and he has a lot to offer the team and his team-mates. I think that these big competitions are also good to reveal the talent of players and I’m sure it’s going to be the case for Paul.’