Get serious and be our TOP POG
Matic calls on fellow midfielder to take more responsibility to turn around his United career
NEMANJA MATIC believes Paul Pogba can flourish at Manchester United – but only if he gets serious and takes more responsibility on the pitch.
Jose Mourinho is still struggling to get the best out of the club’s record signing on a consistent basis, with £89million Pogba continuing to blow hot and cold this season. After his two-goal heroics in the 3-2 comeback win at Manchester City, Pogba was abject in a shock 1-0 defeat to West Brom, only to turn on the style again in the 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Wednesday with a man-ofthe-match display. Today, the spotlight will be on Pogba once again as United take on Tottenham at Wembley for a place in the FA Cup final, with Mourinho looking for a big performance from the 25-yearold. The last time Pogba was at Wembley, when United lost 2-0 to Spurs in January, he was hauled off by Mourinho just after the hour, having failed to follow his manager’s instructions. Against that backdrop, and with continued speculation about his future, Pogba has a point to prove, with Matic in no doubt of his team-mate’s ability to dominate games and opponents when he is fully focused and at the top of his game.
“With his quality and personality, he needs to have more confidence, but he needs to take more responsibility,” said Matic.
“Of course, he’s still young, he can improve and he will improve. He showed in the derby he always can play better and better if he takes responsibility.
“He scored twice and gave more confidence to other players. After his first goal we started to believe we could do something – that’s exactly what he has to do.
“He’s a great player. He runs a lot, has quality with the ball, can score, can also defend very well. I like to play with him.”
The contrast between midfield partners Matic and Pogba could not be greater.
While Matic is the ultimate professional, with no off-field distractions and who can always be relied upon to deliver on the pitch, Pogba’s ever-changing hairstyles and huge social media profile are often cited as proof of insufficient focus on his game.
Asked if he would ever copy Pogba’s penchant for outlandish haircuts, Matic said: “No, I have kids. If I did that my son is going to do the same. I have to have serious hair – like Gary Neville.”
Pogba’s ebullient personality may be the opposite of Matic’s quiet demeanour, but the France star could learn much from the way his senior colleague always plays to a consistently high standard and is trusted by Mourinho because of that.
Despite winning two Premier League titles at Chelsea, Matic has not been so lucky when it comes to cup finals. He lost the 2013 Europa League final, last year’s FA Cup final, was suspended for the 2015 League Cup final and was an unused sub for the 2010 FA Cup win.
The 29-year-old is hoping that run will finally change. “The FA Cup is very important for every team,” said Matic.
“Of course, the Premier League is most important trophy in England, but the FA Cup is second.
“It’s important for us, we’ll try to go through and in the final anything is possible.”