Other Man Utd players to blame for poor Pogba performances - Gullit

Paul Pogba's Manchester United team-mates are to blame for the Frenchman's poor recent performances, according to Ruud Gullit.

The 26-year-old scored nine goals in 12 games following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as manager in December but has seen his form deteriorate rapidly in recent weeks.

His two goals against West Ham last weekend – both from the penalty spot – were his first since mid-February. And on Tuesday the former Juventus midfielder again struggled to make an impact in Europe, with United well beaten by Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Camp Nou.

His downturn in form has also coincided with increased transfer speculation regarding a possible summer move, with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane rumoured to be interested in bringing the midfielder to the Santiago Bernabeu.

But far from pinning the blame for Pogba’s below-par displays on the player, Gullit feels those around him are contributing to his poor form.

“Pogba is still a good player. But also you need players around you,” the former Chelsea manager told beIN Sports.

“It’s not always him, it’s not like you give him the ball and he does something incredible.

“In a good environment he shines, and that’s what they need to create - if he stays.

"He’s a great player, I’ve seen it. What he doesn’t have is the stature for a midfield player. He has such long legs, but if you see the midfield players nowadays and they are all small.

“If he could play like [Sergio] Busquets it would be fantastic, but Busquets can only play like that because of the players around him. Put him in Swansea and he wouldn’t touch the ball.

“So it also depends on where you play and what kind of players you play with.”

Gullit cited the example of Ajax's Dusan Tadic, who is enjoying a fine season with the Dutch side following his summer move from Southampton, as an example of how a player can improve by having different team-mates around them.

“Look at Tadic, you see how good he is. A different player at Southampton than he is with Ajax, a totally different player,” added Gullit.

“So you play with different players around you, in a different system that suits and you play better.”