Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Graeme Souness came to verbal blows when discussing the speculation surrounding the futures of both Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane.
Both Pogba — who is out of contract at Old Trafford next summer — and Kane are currently under the spotlight amid speculation that their futures lie away from their current clubs.
The French midfielder — who started United's new Premier League campaign in sensational style on Saturday, claiming four assists to help his side record a thumping 5-1 win over Leeds — is being linked with a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Kane continues to be heavily linked with a move to Manchester City as Pep Guardiola seeks a striking replacement for Sergio Aguero.
Recently, of course, Kane failed to report back for pre-season at Spurs' Hotspur Way training base on time, leading to yet more speculation about his future. However, the England captain did not come under the kind of scrutiny Pogba has faced in the past when his United future has been questioned.
In a heated debate between Richards and Souness following Spurs' 1-0 win over City on Sunday afternoon, the former City full-back defended Pogba, insisting there is no difference between what he and Kane have done.
Richards told Sky Sports : "Pogba has never come out and said that he wants to play for another team apart from Manchester United.
"We can look at Harry Kane, a lot of people would say that the situation of late has not been dealt with in the best way, but Pogba has never once come out and said that he wants to play elsewhere.
"His agent might have done a lot of the talking, but he has done nothing and just gone out there and done as much as he can possibly do, and Kane has done the same."
Souness then weighed in on the debate, insisting that Pogba's agent Mino Raiola would not discuss a player's future and a possible exit without the player's permission first.
"Do you think the agent speaks without the permission of the player? Not a chance," Souness commented. "[Raiola] is echoing the thoughts of the player."
Richards, however, was not willing to back down, insisting that Pogba and Kane have been treated differently for their actions, with the former frowned upon far more in the past than Kane has been in recent weeks.
Richards added: "It’s similar to the Kane situation. Kane’s not turned up for training and we’re calling him a saint.
"Pogba has never said that he has wanted to leave Manchester United and he is getting abuse. What is the difference?"
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