Paul Pogba faces the same problem at Manchester United as Mesut Ozil does at Arsenal, says Eric Djemba-Djemba, with it “crazy” to suggest that two World Cup winners are “not trying”.
That accusation has been levelled at star turns on the books at Old Trafford and Emirates Stadium throughout their respective spells in England.
Pogba finds himself back under the spotlight at present, with another transfer window having been filled with speculation surrounding his future.
United have retained his services for now, but questions continue to be asked of his attitude and commitment to the collective cause.
Former Red Devils midfielder Djemba-Djemba is baffled by that criticism, telling AmericanGambler.com of the France international: “Pogba has his style and he can’t do anything about that, he has always played like that since he played back in Italy.
“But English football is different; you need to work hard, tackle and more. Italian football is more tactical, but you need to be box-to-box in England, tackle and work hard.
“If you watched [Wayne] Rooney playing as a striker, he would still come back and tackle hard.
“Pogba has his style and he is a very good player. When you put Paul Pogba in the right position and he has the confidence, he is absolutely amazing.
“It’s like Arsenal fans with Mesut Ozil. They think he is not trying but of course he is trying. It’s crazy!”
GettyPogba’s most recent outing for United saw him make more headlines.
He missed a penalty for the Red Devils, taking spot-kick duties from Marcus Rashford in a meeting with Wolves that ended 1-1.
His failure from 12 yards saw him attract more racist abuse on social media, with United moving to put meetings in place with Twitter in an ongoing effort to rid English football and society of an issue which continues to raise its ugly head far too often.
“For me it’s awful to see, its just football and there’s no need for it,” said Djemba-Djemba.
“Imagine how Paul’s child or family feel about seeing that abuse. Racism has no place in either football or this world, and it’s a real shame to see.”