The Tottenham Hotspur has lept to the defence of his Manchester United counterpart.
Speaking to a press conference and quoted by Four Four Two, Tottenham Hotspur and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has defended international team-mate Paul Pogba and says the 23-year-old can fulfill his potential as a “great player”.
The French midfielder joined Manchester United for a world-record £89 million fee this past summer.
But the former Juventus man has so far struggled to justify such a hefty fee following some relatively sluggish performances for Jose Mourinho’s side.
The burden of being a world-record holder appears to be taking its toll on the young midfielder in the form of his displays, but Lloris says Pogba can still become a great – and claims he and his les Bleus team-mates are always pushing him to back up his talent.
“I can understand the high expectations around him,” said the Tottenham goalkeeper via Four Four Two. “There are also [some expectations] from the dressing room and also from the staff and the coach.
“But France is a team and not only one player. We have to be complementary to get the best performance.
“Paul has everything to be a great player but we always ask him to back that up. He can show it in a big game tomorrow [Monday].”
In Pogba’s defence, it has been a hectic summer for him, having also helped France to the final of Euro 2016 weeks before his mega-money switch.
Of course, Didier Deschamps’s side went on to lose to Portugal in the showpiece, so perhaps Pogba could be suffering from a touch of mental fatigue which has spilled over into the Premier League season.
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