Paul Pogba takes swipe at Rangers hero as major critic of ex Man Utd star put down in 11 cutting words
The Rangers hero and former Manchester United star have held a long running feud.
Paul Pogba has rekindled feuding flames between himself and a Rangers hero who held nothing back on his time at Manchester United.
The French midfielder has recently returned to action after a doping ban left him on the sidelines. During his time in the Premier League, having won the World Cup with France, Graeme Souness was not keen on the midfielder. The 72-year-old is a revered figure at Rangers and Liverpool for the no-nonsense approach he brought, that also clinched silverware, winning five trophies in Glasgow.
Souness also won five top flight titles with Liverpool, but during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents show, Pogba took a back-hander at Souness’ achievements at the likes of Liverpool and Rangers. He said in 11 cutting words: “I didn’t know who he was. I heard he’s a legend.”
Why did Paul Pogba and Graeme Souness not get along?
The surprise verdict was aired after Ferdinand reminded the midfielder who is now at Monaco in Ligue 1 of the amount of times Rangers’ former player-boss went after him. Ferdinand said: “You was the most talked about guy on the planet around that time, I’m telling you. Graeme Souness was coming at you. You had four assists in one game and it was your fault.”
That game in question was during the 2021/22 season at Manchester United when the Red Devils put Leeds United to the sword in a thumping win, where the midfielder claimed four goal contributions, which Souness responded to with ‘we expect that from a £100million man.’
Across his two stints at Old Trafford, Pogba scored 39 goals and 51 assists as he made 233 appearances, but pleasantries with the Rangers hero did not come alongside that. Injuries have restricted the impact he’s been able to make since joining Monaco.
What has Graeme Souness said about Paul Pogba?
It’s not a relationship that’s exactly healed either. Speaking in 2024 after his ban, Souness said: “He is extremely talented, but he’s a wasted talent. The worst thing that happened to him was winning the World Cup because from that point on he just sat in his armchair. When José Mourinho was at Manchester United, he called Pogba a virus. He’s a lazy player, but midfield is a position that you have to take personally.
“It’s the only position on the pitch where you’re directly up against someone who’s trying to do the same job as you. I always wanted to have a better day than whoever I was up against, and the only thing I was taught to do was work harder than my opponent. Pogba just goes out to play and show off to everyone how cute and clever he is, rather than trying to make his opponent have a miserable day. He’s got all the ability and athleticism you need; he’s just missing something upstairs.”
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