Mourinho preaches patience regarding Pogba
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said Paul Pogba needs time to realize his full potential in England after the French midfielder scored twice in Thursday’s 4-1 win over Fenerbahce.
Pogba, a world-record $109.1 million signing from Juventus, scored a penalty and converted a long-range effort in the Europa League group game at Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old is yet to hit the heights since returning to United after four years in Turin, but Mourinho believes performances like Thursday’s will accelerate the process.
“First of all, in some of your mouths, he goes from the worst player in the Premier League to a great player in 48 hours,” Mourinho told reporters.
“I am not specifically saying it is you. I say media, especially the Einsteins. We know he is a very good player.
“We know he needs some time to show his potential. I know Italian football very well. I know teams play completely different from the Premier League.
“I am not saying we are better, but we are different. Different in the intensity, the number of touches on the ball. Everything is different and he needs time to adapt.
“He is a self-confident boy. He was not depressed because some people said he was a bad player. He was calm.
“It is always nice for a player to score, to score at home and especially to score such a beautiful goal.”
Pogba opened the scoring in the 31st minute, netting a penalty after Juan Mata was tackled by Fenerbahce’s Simon Kjaer.
Pogba’s France teammate Anthony Martial added another penalty three minutes later before Jesse Lingard teed up Pogba to whip a firsttime shot into the top-left corner from outside the box.
Lingard got on the scoresheet with another long-range effort early in the second half before former United star Robin van Persie reduced the arrears late on, for which he received a rousing ovation.
Mkhitaryan waits
While Pogba further endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful, another offseason signing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, looked on forlornly from the back row of the directors’ box.
The Armenian playmaker has not played since Sept 10 due to a thigh problem and while he is now fit, Mourinho said he will need to knuckle down in training if he is to earn a place in the team.
“The situation is that we played with Lingard, with Mata and Martial,” said Mourinho, who takes United to his former club Chelsea on Sunday.
“I am not an Einstein. I don’t know a tactical system that can play with four wingers at the same time.
“He has to work more to get the intensity and fitness to play at a high level.
“To have him on the bench and give him 15 or 20 minutes like I did to Memphis (Depay), I think it is much better for him to work much harder — and he did today in a specific session — and wait for his chance. But he will be ready very soon.”
The loss saw Fenerbahce slip from first to third place in Group A, two points below United and Feyenoord ahead of next month’s return match against Mourinho’s men.
After finishing second to Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig last season, Fenerbahce is currently eight points off the pace in ninth place and coach Dick Advocaat is desperate for answers.
“We have to talk tomorrow about everything with the team,” said the 69-year-old Dutchman.
“Maybe it’s good tomorrow that they start speaking instead of me. Normally it’s me, so maybe it’s good when they starting speaking about everything.
“Some players last season did really well, but what I see this season is not good enough.
“I’d really like to know the reason.”
Barcelona’s Uruguayan star Luis Suarez on Thursday collected the Golden Shoe award for being the leading scorer in Europe last season and said he never imagined being the most prolific member of such a starstudded attack.
“I didn’t imagine myself as the top scorer, I only thought about being a champion and winning the Champions League, which I have done,” Suarez said at the award ceremony in Barcelona.
“I have teammates who make it easy, but I am not going to take credit from myself because it needs to be done and you need to be in the right place,” Suarez, 29, said of his scoring exploits.
The former Liverpool striker, who moved to Camp Nou in 2014, scored a remarkable 40 goals in La Liga last season as Luis Enrique’s side edged out Real Madrid to take the title.
That tally allowed him to edge Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, scorer of a Serie A record 36 goals for Napoli.
Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo was third with 35 goals.
It is the second time Suarez has won the Golden Shoe. In 2013-14 he shared the prize with Ronaldo after netting 31 times for Liverpool in the Premier League.