Don’t need the armband to be a leader, says Pogba
Midfielder says France teammates have no issues with him
CLAIREFONTAINE-EN-YVELINES, FRANCE: France and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has told AFP in an interview that his international teammates give him the freedom to express himself and be the team’s leader.
Pogba has faced criticism for failing to repeat his impressive performances at the World Cup for United, who have slumped early in the season.
The subject of Pogba’s reportedly fraught relationship with United boss Jose Mourinho was strictly off the table for the interview at France’s international training base.
United’s difficult start in the Premier League all seems a long away from France’s glory in Russia, but reunited again with his France teammates, Pogba was happy to recall that defender Adil Rami had described him as the team’s ‘real leader‘ at the World Cup.
“It really pleased me to hear Adil say that,” Pogba told AFP. “I would never say it’s me, it’s the squad who put me in that position, who gave me the freedom to express myself. They gave me confidence as well.
“I could say what I felt, give messages and pass them on from the older players to the younger ones. I was the go-between you could say.”
France face Iceland in a friendly in Guingamp on Thursday and resume their Nations League campaign with a return clash at home to Germany on October 16.
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