‘Why is that?’: Peter Crouch says Manchester United star must find answers to his own issues

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Peter Crouch suggested Paul Pogba should now be looking for his own solutions to solve the problems at Manchester United staring him in the face.

Speaking on BT Sport last night, Crouch questioned why Pogba’s form fluctuates so much at club level and challenged him to come up with the remedies off his own back.

The France international had a difficult evening against Atalanta yesterday in the Champions League.

His first-half display was as bad as anyone’s in a red shirt, constantly relinquishing possession unnecessarily.

He nearly cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side a goal after a risky pass across United’s box was intercepted by an Atalanta player.

Pogba improved slightly after the interval, yet failed to stamp any sort of authority on the tie.

To sum up the 28-year-old’s underwhelming display, he was replaced by Nemanja Matic with 21 minutes remaining, despite his midfield partner Scott McTominay being on a yellow card.

Pogba problems

This is not the first – nor will it be the last – time Pogba’s performances have been cast under the spotlight.

“You’ve got a World Cup winner who still can’t get into the team. Why is it?”, asked Crouch.

“He’s got to be asking questions of himself. He can’t keep relying on things.

“When is he going to take responsibility for his own performance? He’s not been as consistent as he has for France. Why is that?”

Le Bleus or Red Devils?

The parallels between Pogba for France and Pogba for United are stark.

Wearing the Red Devils jersey appears to be his kryptonite, whilst Le Bleus brings out the very best in him.

Playing alongside N’Golo Kante for the national team certainly helps, but this cannot be the only factor.

A change in system between Solskjaer and Didier Deschamps’ methods might explain part of the problem.

Or, it may simply be a case of enjoying his football more internationally rather than domestically.

After all, Since Pogba returned to Old Trafford, has won the same number of trophies with France as he has with United (two).

Unfortunately, nobody has the definitive answer to this puzzle.

Perhaps Pogba does have to fix this issue on his own, which could mean leaving Manchester behind next summer.