Graeme Souness and Paul Pogba have had a long-standing feud since the Frenchman re-joined Manchester United in 2016, but what has the Scotsman actually said about the player? We take a deep dive into their history below.
For whatever reason, the former Liverpool midfielder has always had something to say about Pogba. From his haircut to the fee United paid Juventus to re-sign him, it might be fair to say Souness isn’t Pogba’s biggest fan.
Most recently when speaking on the Second Captains podcast at a live event in Dublin, Souness branded Pogba a ‘lazy t**t’ and criticised his work ethic in both training and matches.
Here are some of the highlights from the 70-year-old’s punditry regarding Pogba over the years.
Graeme Souness vs Paul Pogba History
In August 2016, Manchester United brought the Frenchman back to Old Trafford for a world-record £89m fee – surpassing the £85m that Real Madrid paid Tottenham to sign Gareth Bale three years earlier.
In his first season at the club, the Red Devils won the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League. However, Souness was less than impressed by his return to English football and believed United were robbed.
In May 2017, Souness said:
“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.”
Later that year, Souness described Pogba as a ‘bit of a YouTuber’ and encouraged the player to emulate Marouane Fellaini’s style of play and simplify his game.
“I want to see Paul Pogba do what [Marouane] Fellaini does, pop it off nice and simple. I’m not saying he [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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Souness also claimed that Pogba didn’t have a ‘basic understanding of his position’ and further attacked the Frenchman’s style of play.
“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.”
In a column for the Sunday Times towards the end of the 2017/18 season, the Scot wrote:
“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.”
At one of his angriest points when covering the player, Souness doubled down and claimed Pogba would never stop making mistakes unless he had a change of attitude.
“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’.
“Even at 25 you never stop learning in this game. If this boy believes that he is the real deal at 25 then he won’t get any better.”
He also took a swipe at Pogba’s mentality by saying he would be a ‘doddle’ to play against when comparing the Frenchman to himself.
“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.”
Things started to turn sour for Pogba towards the end of his Manchester United career. At the beginning of the 2018/19 season, he was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona and flirted with Real Madrid the following year.
Souness used this as ammunition to claim that Pogba ‘wasn’t up for the fight’ at Old Trafford following the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.
In a column for The Times, Souness wrote:
“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.
“They’re as responsible as anybody for the predicament United are in, yet have effectively said to their team-mates: ‘It’s everybody else’s fault.’ No, let’s get it right, lads, you’re part of the reason United are not in the Champions League this year.”
Furthermore when Pogba was filmed dancing at his brother’s wedding whilst out with an injury, Souness unleashed on the player and suggested he simply didn’t want to play for the club.
Souness said on Sky Sports:
“It’s just the cynic in me, I’m thinking Paul Pogba… I see him dancing at a wedding, I see him shooting hoops, and the cynic in me thinks he doesn’t want to be at United. How can you not want to play for Man United, if that’s the case?”
When Everton’s Andre Gomes made a miraculous recovery to play three months after suffering a dislocated ankle injury, Souness used this as another opportunity to question the legitimacy of Pogba’s absence from the field.
“You’ve got Andre Gomes playing today, horrific ankle injury. Is it 14 bones in his… half the players out there today will be playing with something floating around in their ankle joint. It mystifies me, it really does.
“Maybe United should be looking at the medical staff here at Goodison, they got Gomes back in a fraction of the time for what would appear to be a far worse injury.”
Eventually, Pogba decided he’d had enough and that it was time to fire back at the enraged pundit. He took an opportunity on the club’s UTD Podcast whilst out with a knock to suggest he didn’t even know who Souness was.
“I guess they miss me. I’m not someone that looks always at Sky Sports News. When you know football, you don’t need someone to tell you what’s happening.
“If they want to speak, they are allowed to speak, it’s their job to speak. I am used to it now. I am really used to it, it doesn’t bother me.
“I heard he [Souness] was a great player and stuff like that. I know the face but (not) the name.
“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.”
It didn’t take Souness long to respond, hitting back on Sky Sports’ The Football Show podcast.
“The oldest saying in football comes to mind: ‘Put your medals on the table’. I’ve got a big table.”
In 2018 after Pogba played a leading role in France winning the World Cup in Russia, Souness appeared to have a slight change of heart regarding the player and praised his performances for the national team.
“I’ve been a critic of his back in the UK and I wouldn’t back off the things I’ve said about him while he’s been a Man United player, but I see a different Paul Pogba in this competition.
“The number one criticism: He’s got a ‘fast forward’ gear when he’s attacking and when he loses it he doesn’t sprint back as quickly as he does when he’s going to try and do things.
“I think he’s been more of a team player in this competition. But when you’re playing with Matuidi and the likes of Kante I think you’d be embarrassed if you didn’t put the same shift in as them.”
Most recently, Souness delivered what could be described as a final nail in the coffin after calling Pogba a ‘lazy t**t’.
“He’s an extremely talented young man. He should be one of the best midfielders in the world. But he’s lazy.
“If you remember how he used to take penalties (with a stuttered run-up). 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?”
When Souness was asked whether he felt his criticism of the 30-year-old is potentially unfair, he replied: “Not for a nanosecond, no, he’s a lazy t**t.”
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