CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU
United, who signed him for the club again. Paul is still very young and his value was big when he returned to Manchester from Juventus.
“He needed time to adapt himself again – not only to the championship, but also to the jersey. There is a big history behind Manchester United.”
Karembeu, 47, won 53 caps for France and was part of the squad, led by captain Didier Deschamps, that won the 1998 World Cup.
He also won two Champions Leagues for Real Madrid in a glittering playing career that also took him to Nantes, Sampdoria, Middlesbrough, Olympiakos, Servette and Bastia.
Twenty years later, Deschamps coached Les Bleus to another world title – with Pogba at the heart of his midfield. Karembeu said: “Paul needs to talk with the manager so that he can be given the opportunity to play for United in the way that Deschamps tried to give for France. “Didier tried to give him the area where Paul can play and move with more freedom. “We always expect players like Pogba to deliver great performances. “But in the Premier League it’s not easy to produce that every game. It has the best players in the world and there is also an intensity and rhythm to games. “And, of course, the pressure to succeed is not easy. Manchester United have won many trophies and the jersey can be heavy for anyone. “Pogba was also part of the Manchester academy where the standards are to be as good as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. “In Juventus, for example, he was deeper and could pass the ball. “At Manchester United, he has been further forward in the middle, so it is not the same system. “Of course, when we talk about his transfer fee, what United paid for Pogba, everybody expects him to always do the best. “But it is not easy. He is a human being and this season he just arrived from the World Cup, having played 50 games last year. It is impossible. We are not machines and you need to respect that.”
Karembeu was in the North West during the week in his current role as sporting adviser for Olympiakos, as the Greek giants drew 1-1 with Burnley to progress in the Europe League.
United travel to Turf Moor today on the back of successive defeats at the hands of Brighton and Tottenham.
And the Frenchman said: “The Premier League is the best in the world. Every league aspires to be like the Premier League. It’s a model for the rest of football.
“In England, it is so competitive and there is also the opportunity for all the brands in the world to be visible.
“It is very attractive. We, as footballers or ex-footballers, admire the job that has been done to make the Premier League as famous as it is.”