Mourinho backs under-fire Pogba
Man United boss denies Scholes' claims that Pogba was 'disrespectful'
Jose Mourinho has defended Paul Pogba after the Manchester United star was branded "disrespectful" by Paul Scholes.
United legend Scholes claimed Pogba's lacklustre display in Sunday's shock defeat by lowly West Bromwich Albion showed a lack of respect for Mourinho.
Scholes' criticism came amid growing speculation that Mourinho is ready to sell Pogba, following the France midfielder's inconsistent form over the last two seasons, reported AFP.
But Pogba produced one of his better performances in United's 2-0 win over Bournemouth yesterday morning (Singapore time), as he set up Romelu Lukaku for the second goal at Dean Court.
Chris Smalling put United ahead in the 28th minute when he tapped in from Jesse Lingard's cross despite Bournemouth's offside appeals.
Pogba was slightly more effective after his recent troubles and he created United's second goal in the 70th minute.
Breaking up a Bournemouth attack, he galloped clear and sent a perfectly weighted pass for Lukaku to claim his 27th goal of the season.
Asked to comment on Scholes' criticism of Pogba, Mourinho said: "I don't agree. I agree that it wasn't a good performance at all (against West Brom); with that I agree."
Mourinho made seven changes from the West Brom loss as he axed some of the under-performers and rested others for their FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Sunday morning (Singapore time).
His decision to keep Pogba in the starting line-up raised questions about the chances of the midfielder retaining his place at Wembley.
But Mourinho, who has dropped Pogba several times this season, offered an enthusiastic review of the player's Man-of-the- Match display.
"Top performance. Top performance. Obviously, the performance against City was special, coming with two goals," he said.
Meanwhile, former Man United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen believes the club should end all the speculation over Pogba's future by making a strong and clear statement, in the interest of all parties.
The Dutchman said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: "I do think the club should do everything to clear things up quickly, because Paul is a very good player and he showed that again last night.
"They need to take away the speculation around him and his position, and the sooner they do that, the better it is for the club, for the player and the manager."
Scholes said he believes the midfielder will not be at the club next season, amid reports that Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has offered his client to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Scholes said on BT Sport: "Yeah, I think he could (leave). I don't know, I don't really speak to anyone at the club.
"But, from the outside looking in, it looks like the relationship isn't great."
However, former United striker Dwight Yorke, also speaking on the Alan Brazil Breakfsat Show, believes that Pogba should stay as it's just part and parcel of the game for a United player to be criticised.
The former striker believes that Pogba has not been deliberately under-performing, just that he has not been able to express himself sometimes.
Said Yorke: "I feel at times he has been restricted - defensively he has to contribute to the team, and it's not just about Paul Pogba, it is about the team.
"But when it comes to the character of the person, Pogba is an entertainer. He wants to entertain, and sometimes he is not allowed to do that."
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