Graeme Souness' brutal Paul Pogba comments and the day ex-Man Utd star hit back
Paul Pogba was never far away from the ire of Graeme Souness during his time at Manchester United.
After completing his £93.2million return to Old Trafford in 2016 after a spell with Juventus, the French midfielder was unable to lift the fortunes of the Red Devils under several managers.
With a hefty price tag and a big name, the World Cup winner was often a target for pundits in assessing United's failures over several years.
In his time on Sky Sports, Souness more than most took issue with the 91-time capped midfielder. The Liverpool and Rangers legend questioned Pogba's attitude, application and ability, even steering clear of providing too much praise when he delivered four assists in one match. The criticism didn't end after Pogba's departure in 2022, while it took four years for Pogba to comment on Souness publically. Mirror Football takes a look back at everything said between the pair.
'Way too much' - August 2016
"It's not the poor lad's decision, he didn't decide how much was going to be spent on him, but I think £89m is way too much. For that money, you're expecting to get the finished article. He's a long way off from that. The strikers are the ones that normally go for big, big money because they're the ones who decide the games, nine times out of 10.
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"Pogba got 10 goals in 49 games last year. He will get some goals but he's not going to be a Luis Suarez, who got over 50 goals for Barcelona last year. How many games is he single-handedly going to win you? I think the price they have paid for him is all out of sync. If you analyse it in that context, the price isn't right. It's way too much on him."
'Yet to be convinced' - August 2016
“I am yet to be convinced. I don’t see him changing that many games. In the last couple of years,Manchester Unitedhave not had a bad bunch of players - not a top group - but they have underperformed. Right now I would sayIbrahimovicwill be a bigger influence for United over the next nine months because he has an attitude and a charisma about him that will drag the lesser lights along."
Graeme Souness has never been afraid to be forthright in his footballing opinions (Getty Images)'Does he have a football brain?' - September 2016
"We get kidded by his athleticism. When you see him move he is an absolute Rolls Royce. Does he have a football brain? He has still to develop his football brain."
'Playing well within himself' - September 2016
"I think Pogba should be getting in front of the ball a lot of the time, making runs into the box. He looks like he can run all day. I'd like to see him in the box more, he's an obvious threat arriving late. He's got power, strength, can head the ball, and I just think he's playing well within himself. I think he has so much more to offer and I'd like to see him among the goals more.
"If I'm playing against him, I'd be happy seeing in front of me all the time, I wouldn't want to match his runs running into the box, because he'd run you into the ground."
'See his problem' - October 2016
"He may eventually be £100m worth but right now I don't see him anywhere near that. I see a young man who's struggling to find his best position and best form in a team that's struggling to find their best form. I think you've got to maximise his athleticism.
"He looks like a wonderful athlete, someone that could do that box-to-box thing for a full 90 minutes at the same pace and never dip from it. I see his problem - he's got the technique, he drops a shoulder he throws a leg over the ball - I don't see him having a great understanding of the game."
'Trousers taken down' - May 2017
"United have to pay a premium. For United, stick 25 per cent on the price because it's Man United and they have the money. In my opinion, they had their trousers taken down paying £100million. I'm yet to be convinced by that. He may be a player one day but right now as we sit here after one year in our football, I'm still waiting to be convinced."
Manchester United ended up losing Paul Pogba on a free transfer twice (Getty Images)'Bit of a YouTuber' - September 2017
"I want to see Paul Pogba do what Marouane Fellaini does: pop it off nice and simple. I’m not saying Fellaini is a better option, what I’m saying is he’s a bigger threat - he’s more effective. He’s not easy on the eye, he’s a bit of a thug at times, which doesn’t make him a bad guy.
"That’s the question mark I have against him. He’s got technique. He’s a bit of a YouTuber, isn’t he?"
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'Basic stuff you can learn in the youth team' - December 2017
"When he is on the ball, there's lots of things to admire. He's powerful, he's got good technique, he can wrong-foot people, he can ping the ball. This isn't me being an ex-Liverpool player caning a Man United player. I thought the same when he was a Juventus player.
"That is basic stuff you learn in the youth team. When is he gonna get it? He hasn't taken a big game by the scruff of the neck and dominated it. He hasn't got a basic understanding of his position, I can't see that changing."
'Will be absent' - February 2018
"When he's asked to do a job centrally, he's forever straying towards the ball. A central midfielder should never be in areas wider than the penalty box, unless they are out there to confront danger defensively.
"When your side are in possession you should always be thinking: 'If it breaks down, I'm out of the game.' Pogba empties that central area far too readily. He will do something clever in the final third, but will be absent when his back four are under the cosh."
'Selfish' - September 2018
Following the opening win over Leicester, Souness wrote in The Times: "If you’re not happy, you can’t give your best. 'There are things I cannot say, otherwise I'll get fined.' I cannot imagine he’s keeping his counsel in the dressing room, though.
"Pogba plays for himself, it’s all about how cool he looks, showing us how clever he is. Tottenham's midfielders, Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele, were different gravy — players who keep the ball and move it quickly. I reckon Pogba’s only in the team to maintain his transfer value until United can sell him, because he doesn’t merit his place for any other reason. Perhaps we’re now seeing the selfish player Fergie didn’t fancy first time round?"
'Run out of patience' - October 2018
"I think they've run out of patience with him, you cannot as a manager keep saying "this is what you need to do". As Joe Fagan would say - the great Joe Fagan would say - 'we'll tell you once, we'll tell you twice, and if you don't get it you won't be here very long', and it was as brutal as that.
"I'm seen as his biggest critic but his manager is not happy with him. I've been a manager and I'm saying to myself, like Jose will be saying to himself, 'what a player this boy could be if you would just listen and learn'."
'Keen to get away' - August 2019
"If I'm sitting in Manchester United's dressing room today, I'm glad Romelu Lukaku has gone and don't want Paul Pogba in there with me either if he's not up for the fight ahead and is also keen to get away."
'Doddle to play against' - March 2020
"Pogba has absolutely everything to be a top player - great athleticism, super technique - but his attitude to the game is the polar opposite of mine. He goes out with one thought in his mind: 'I'm going to show everyone how clever I am today and be the star of the show.'
"My attitude, the way I was taught, was: 'Go out and work harder than the guy you're in against and see where that takes you.' He'd be an absolute doddle to play against."
Pogba's response - April 2020
"I didn’t even know who he was, really. I heard he was a great player and stuff like that. I know the face but [not] the name. Like I said I’m not someone that watches a lot of [punditry], I watch a lot of football but I don’t stay after the game to listen to what they say about why they did this or why they did that. I like to focus on football."
Souness responded by saying he would put his medals on having won three European Cups, five championships and three League Cups at Liverpool.
Rio Ferdinand's defence - April 2020
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand defended Pogba on this occasion. The pundit went as far as to say that he would have hit back even harder at Souness.
He told The Beautiful Game Podcast: For Paul Pogba to say he doesn't know who [Souness] is or wouldn't know him as a footballer, I believe that.
"It's not disrespectful, he doesn't know him. As great a player as Souness was - he was a top player, one of the best. "If you were talking about the best British midfielders we've produced, he's in the conversation, 100 per cent, Graeme Souness was a good player.
Rio Ferdinand defended Paul Pogba (Eleanor Hoad/Every Second Media/REX/Shutterstock)"But Paul Pogba doesn't know him. Simple as that, and that's the difference of generations. I don't think it's disrespectful. "If I was Paul Pogba, I'd say the same thing, but I would have said it from a disrespectful standpoint. Because I'd be saying, 'you've been dissing me all this time and I've not kicked a ball, why are you talking about me?"
'I want him to work harder' - June 2020
"I get hammered. I’m a fan of his talent, but midfield is the only position on the pitch where you’re playing against someone doing an identical job. I want him to go and say to himself, ‘I’m going to work harder today, I’m going to have a better game’. Instead of saying, ‘I want to show how clever I am’. I’m a fan of his ability, but I want him to work harder."
'Expect that from a £100m man' - August 2021
When Manchester United defeated Leeds 5-1 at the beginning of the 2021/22 season and Pogba recorded four assists, Souness stayed clear of providing a complimentary comment.
"Looking at them yesterday, they looked threatening, positive, they have momentum and the crowd seems to be with them," said Souness. "They have signed good players. For me, the star of the show was Greenwood. For a young boy, I thought he was sensational."
Former Man City defender Micah Richards remarked at Souness' refusal to name Pogba among the stand-out performers by saying 'Haha. Pogba had four assists,' to which Souness snapped back instantly 'We expect that from a £100million man'."
'Doesn't give everything' - October 2021
"Generally, if you win midfield, you do well in games. People may say that may have changed due to the amount of emphasis on possession today, having 70 per cent of the ball and still managing to lose. So there's an argument for and against it but I'd say they're Jose Mourinho's type of players, players who have a right go physically.
"Against this Man United team, they might have too much energy for their engine room. I don't think your man gives everything, I don't think Paul Pogba comes off any game and he's given 100 per cent. We know his qualities, but..."
'Rivals will want Pogba to stay' - April 2022
Souness wrote in his column for The Times: “If United are offering Paul Pogba a new contract, it’s surely only to recoup some of the £89 million they paid for him. I’d question if you want him around your club with the people who appear to be advising him. All United’s rivals will want Pogba to stay this summer, which is an indictment in itself, and I often wonder if it’s more about Instagram followers than giving his heart and soul to his football.
“He has been a divisive character. Before breaking the British transfer record to bring Pogba back did United ask for advice from Fergie, who previously let him leave? They have plainly not tapped into the experience of the greatest Premier League manager."
'Lazy' - September 2023
With Pogba out of the Premier League limelight and Souness having departed as a Sky Sports pundit, the midfielder had seen some respite in having criticism directed his way from the straight talking 70-year-old. Souness defended his views when appearing on the Second Captains podcast, however, and didn't hold back.
“He’s an extremely talented young man,” he said. “He should be one of the best midfielders in the world, but he’s lazy.
“If you remember how he used to take penalties. That was him wanting to be the star of the show for that period of time. If he’s lazy in matches he’ll be lazy in training and how can you get after the rest of them if you don’t get after him?”
Asked whether he had been unfair to Pogba Souness replied bluntly: “Not for a nanosecond, no. He’s a lazy t***.”
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