Paul Pogba “can do absolutely everything” and boasts many of the traits that made Steven Gerrard a Liverpool legend, claims Manchester United icon Paul Scholes.
A France international on the books at Old Trafford has attracted plenty of criticism since completing a record-setting £89 million ($110m) return to Englan d in the summer of 2016.
Rather than becoming the talismanic presence that the Red Devils hoped he would be, Pogba is considered to be a divisive figure who has fallen short of expectations.
He is now a World Cup winner and one of the most recognisable players on the planet, but questions of his form, fitness and future are never far away.
Scholes, though, remains a big fan of a midfielder he played alongside when Pogba first broke into the senior fold at United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The ex-England international believes the 27-year-old is capable of more than he has shown over recent years, with there obvious comparisons to be made with Liverpool great Gerrard.
Scholes told United’s official podcast : “I played a bit with Paul and everyone knows the talent he's got.
“He's been brilliant for Juventus, brilliant for France in the World Cup and really good at times here [at United ] as well.
“He can do everything as a midfield player and you'd probably liken him to Steven Gerrard with the pace, the power, the skill. He can do absolutely everything.”
Getty/GoalPogba recently revealed that he feels many important lessons were taken from the time he spent working with Scholes, as well as Juventus star Andrea Pirlo during a productive spell in Italy.
He said: “You learn a lot and you look at them.
“I really learned and have been learning. It was unbelievable for me, seeing them training like that, and it pushed me.
“Okay, I have to work hard and have a lot more to do. Pirlo and Scholes, those are midfielders who control the game, the players to look at, and I learned from them, a lot.
“I started as a striker and then a No.10 and then a No.6. Thank God, I didn't go to centre-back! It was because I wanted to touch the ball too much.”
Pogba has been unable to showcase his talent as much as he and United had been hoping in 2019-20, with injury restricting him to just eight appearances, but he is “hungry” to return to action and expects to be raring to go when football resumes after the coronavirus lockdown.