Wayne Rooney believes that Manchester United star Paul Pogba "could be incredible" if he were to emulate former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
Lampard, now head coach at Stamford Bridge, is the fifth-highest scoring Premier League player of all time and is the only midfielder in the top 10.
And Rooney describes how difficult it was to deal with players who moved beyond the midfield line off the ball as Lampard did.
"[A] nightmare is the Frank Lampard type, the midfielder who runs past you," Rooney said to The Times. "With Frank, when the ball went wide you knew he would be off, sprinting into the box and he was one of those about who Fergie would say: 'This player is not a one-man job - you have to pass them on.'
"He would say that about some you wouldn’t imagine: Stephen Ireland was one, Jermaine Jenas another, purely because they were willing to run beyond your midfield and with those players, there’s going to be a crossover movement from when your central midfielder is dealing with it to when your centre back is. One lapse of team concentration in that moment and the best - like Lampard - punish you."
And Rooney is convinced that Pogba, who has divided opinion since his record-breaking move from Juventus to United, could flourish if he were to model his game on Lampard and improve his productivity in the final third from open play.
The Frenchman has scored 31 goals and registered a further 31 assists in 151 appearances across all competitions for United, but undoubtedly has the ability to improve those numbers further.
"That’s why I would love to see Paul Pogba playing deeper and attacking the box the moment the ball went wide," Rooney continued. "He would score more goals and with his good feet, his athleticism, he would be an absolute nightmare. I would use him in that role - it’s one where, if he developed in it, he could be incredible."
Pogba has been heavily linked with a move away from United over the last year and has made just eight appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils this season due to injury.