Former Manchester United man Paul Ince believes that Paul Pogba is looking at leaving the club in the January transfer window and that it's having a negative effect on his performance levels.
The Frenchman has struggled for fitness and form at the start of the 2019-20 season having been a key performer following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's initial appointment in an interim role last year.
Indeed, following the Norwegian's arrival in December 2018, Pogba scored nine goals in 11 matches in all competitions as his form mirrored United's improvements on the pitch.
Pogba's scored just twice since March, however, with the 26-year-old having been on Real Madrid's shortlist in the summer transfer window, only for a move not to materialise.
And Ince feels that the former Juventus star needs to start stepping up despite the uncertainty over his future, with a struggling United needing their experienced players to be leaders on the pitch.
He told Paddy Power: "Paul Pogba looks bang average again. Those young players need his guidance right now, they need nurturing and showing where they need to be on the pitch, and Pogba should take ownership of that.
"We should be seeing that leadership. I’m not sure his head is in it, I believe his mind is on January, but he needs to take control of the team and of the youngsters that are trying to break through."
Ince also singled out Marcus Rashford for criticism, claiming that he isn't the lethal finisher that the club needs at the moment.
He added: "Marcus Rashford is a concern for me, he’s struggling. You do need to remember that he’s played a lot of football for a kid so young, and there is so much pressure on him because United are so reliant on him.
Getty Images"They haven’t gone out and bought a centre-forward, so the onus is on Rashford to perform consistently. United simply haven’t got a lethal striker, and Rashford doesn’t look like that to me yet either.
"The way he’s being played at the minute, and the over-reliance on him, is really impacting his performances and he knows that.
"As a young player you will lose your confidence, Rashford is clearly a little bit down and not quite right, and that’s where the leaders at the club need to recognise that and pull him up.
"He’s a talented player, but it’s not working for him at the moment. Technically he’s very good, but for me he lacks composure. When you look at players like Eric Cantona, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, the composure they had was incredible.
"With Rashford, he gets a little touch excited and he either smashes it or looks unsure. My advice for him would to be to get out on that training ground, afternoon after afternoon, and work on it.
"Ole needs to get him working on it too, just take him to one side with a coach and get him working on his composure. It will improve him as a player – and in turn his confidence will come back too."