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Football

19th Feb 2019

Jamie Carragher walks back Paul Pogba criticism

Jack O'Toole

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has admitted that he was wrong after claiming that he didn’t know if Paul Pogba was worth hassle following his public spat with former manager Jose Mourinho.

Pogba was frequently used as a bench player near the end of Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford and Carragher said on Sky Sports at the time that he didn’t think the French World Cup winner would be able to turn it around under a new manager.

“If you’re asking me who’s in the right between Pogba and Mourinho. Mourinho,” he said on Sky Sports.

“They’ve both been there exactly the same amount of time, two years, Mourinho’s done more in that time.

“I don’t know if Pogba is worth the hassle for what he gives on the pitch.

“And there’s an idea that it’s one or the other. That if Mourinho goes you’ll see a new Pogba, you won’t, I can assure Manchester United fans you won’t.

“No one plays for two years and all of a sudden you change your manager and there’s a different player, we’ve seen what Pogba is as a player.

“He’s not as a good as he thinks he is, he’s not. He’s got talent but his big problem is understanding the game. It’s been a problem since he arrived and it hasn’t changed now.”

The former England international has since said that he has no problem admitting that he was wrong and added that he believes Pogba’s uptick in form stems from his lack of defensive responsibilities in the Manchester United midfield.