Mendy is wary of threat posed by best mate Pogba
SETTING aside their Manchester derby rivalry, Benjamin Mendy has revealed how Paul Pogba has become a true leader of club and country.
The two men, firm friends since they were at Le Havre together as 13-year-olds, have returned from Russia with World Cup winner’s medals.
And while City left-back Mendy also has Premier League and League Cup winners’ medals from a bittersweet year in which he had a long-term injury, he feels Pogba will be at the forefront of a United fightback next season.
Mendy saw at close quarters how Pogba was an influential voice in the France dressing room as they stormed to glory in France – and feels he has shut up his critics once and for all.
“Before every game he was the one using his mouth to speak, giving big, big words to the team,” said Mendy. “You see him – he’s very hungry. It’s perfect for the team.
“If you’re Paul Pogba and do some haircuts or something else then everybody speaks, speaks, speaks.
“But he played so well, and now has won the World Cup, so there is not much you can say really.”
Mendy feels that Pogba matured as a player in his time in Serie A, learning at the feet of two modern legends.
“He was at Juventus with Marchisio and Pirlo and you take everything from a situation like that.
“Now he’s in Manchester he takes more. He’s a leader.”
The two will resume hostilities on the field this season, but away from the game they are firm pals.
The City defender opted to cut short his summer holiday in a bid to be fit for the start of the season after a cruciate ligament problem wrote off virtually his entire season – and effectively restricted his contribution to that French World Cup triumph.
Pogba is still on holiday, but they could both be key men as the two Manchester teams scrap over the Premier League crown again next season. “We are really close friends,” said Mendy, currently in Miami as part of City’s tour. “We were together in the same place in Le Havre and now we meet in the same city, but he plays for United. “Playing with him in the national team is a dream. Sometimes we spoke about this when we were younger, about 13, and now we are in the France team. It’s amazing and he’s a good guy.” United fans might not thank Pogba for this, but he gave Mendy glowing reports about Manchester when the former Monaco star was pondering a move to the Blues. “We spoke about Manchester, England and the Premier League,” he said. “He had a lot of questions. Us French guys meet up in Manchester. And I have one friend with me too at City.” Benjamin Mendy