Paul Pogba is stagnating at Man Utd – Bixente Lizarazu
Posted Tuesday, April 03, 2018 by squawka.com
Former Bayern Munich and France defender Bixente Lizarazu believes his compatriot Paul Pogba is "not improving" at Manchester United.
Pogba, 25, has come under increasing scrutiny of late and was recently benched in United's FA Cup quarter-final tie against Brighton & Hove Albion last month.
Lizarazu, a World Cup winner in 1998, feels the former Juventus man is stagnating under Jose Mourinho and that unless his level improves, it could spell trouble for the French national team ahead of this summer's World Cup.
"I think the relationship with Mourinho is not good. When he was at Juventus, he was really improving a lot," he told BBC's World Service.
"My feeling is he's not improving at Man Utd and this is a problem as the potential is so big and we don't want for him to stay at that level. Why is he not playing well? It's difficult to say.
"Of course Mourinho is not an easy manager. He's using a strong hand and he can be hard on him."
"Some players need that, but other players need a more softer approach," he added.
"You have to be focussed and he's not focused enough and sometimes he's doing too much and he has to be controlled.
"He has to react now as it's only three months until the World Cup."
Pogba with France
The native of Lagny-sur-Marne made his senior France debut against Georgia in March 2013, while he was representing Juventus at the time.
He would play the full 90 minutes under Didier Deschamps as the French ran out comfortable 3-1 winners in Paris.
It would not be long before Pogba registered his first international goal, coming against Belarus in September 2013, which was his third appearance for Les Bleus.
His most recent outing, a friendly away to Russia, saw the midfielder earn cap number 51, while it also produced his ninth goal for his country, a stunning free-kick in their 1-3 win.
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