The blame for Paul Pogba's inconsistent form has been laid firmly at Manchester United's feet by one of the club's former players.
Pogba endured an up-and-down 2018-19 season, shining in the two months immediately after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's interim appointment last December but largely toiling in the periods of the campaign either side of that purple patch.
And ex-United striker Louis Saha believes the club is to blame for Pogba's struggles by failing to surround him with leaders in the team.
“I am really a big fan of Paul," Saha told The Mirror. "You target leadership for the best players in the team and Paul is definitely one of them, so the pressure is always on him. But it’s unfair on him to have this burden all of the time because the set-up of the team is not built with leaders around him – and perhaps that is not his best quality.
“Of course, he brings a special quality because he can do special things, but I don’t think leadership is his strength. So let’s find the right people to be around him because he can do magic. That’s what he has been bought by United to do – rather than as a Roy Keane-type or others that you can compare.
“When I see what is happening with Paul, I would say it is unfair to ask him to do something unnatural to him.”
Saha also believes Anthony Martial's development is suffering because there is nobody in United's squad pushing him to improve.
“As for Anthony, he is the type of player, who, on his day, is unplayable, but, again, he needs a role model that will give him a target to go for and set a tone for working harder," Saha added.
“In my view, it’s not fair to target those two French players. It is about the squad and the squad right now is not there. Every day in a group is about getting the best out of the personnel.
“For instance, a player like Gary Neville was essential for me as a striker. Every day he would be there on my back making sure I get it. I knew that every time I missed an opportunity or a dribble then he would be on my back.
“Those days have gone now and that is why I think Ole has some work to do. I think United have to find some new leaders.”
