MANCHESTER UNITED MIDFIELDER Paul Pogba cannot be considered โtop-classโ and on the same level as Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, says Rafa Benitez.
The France international made his return to competitive action against Benitezโs Newcastle following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a hamstring complaint.
Pogba slotted seamlessly back into the Old Trafford fold, with a talismanic display helping Jose Mourinhoโs Red Devils to a convincing 4-1 victory .
The 24-year-old has earned plenty of plaudits on the back of his display, but former Liverpool boss Benitez believes he still has some way to go before being placed in a talent bracket alongside modern day icons.
He told reporters when pressed on comparisons between Pogba and ex-England captain Steven Gerrard: โTheyโre different. Stevie was a top-class player for so many years.
โHe was very consistent and could make the difference in every game, with or without the ball.
โHe was a top-class player. Pogba is a great player, but he still has to be consistent for years like Stevie was for 10 or 15 years.
โPogba is not my player, so I donโt need to talk too much about him. Heโs a great player, like the majority of the Manchester United players.
โBut Iโm concentrated on trying to improve my players.โ
Pogba scored one and created another as he returned with a bang against Newcastle.
Mourinho billed him as โdifferent classโ in the wake of an eye-catching performance, while the ยฃ89 million man admitted to feeling โblessedโ at being back out on the field.
Having sat out 12 games through injury, Pogba said: โTo come back, to play again, to see Old Trafford, to see the fans again, to score on my comeback, I feel blessed.
โMost of last season I had injuries, but small ones. You just have to recover well because the Premier League is different to Italy.
โItโs more intense and you have to think about recovery, then you have more games.
โIโve trained very hard to come back fit. The season is really long so we have to be fit โ not only me but all the players.โ
Victory over Newcastle kept United second in the Premier League table, eight points adrift of arch-rivals Manchester City at the summit.
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Iโm sure Swedenโs current strikers who got them there are delighted.
Just when you thought he couldnโt become more unlikeable,
Disrespectful to his fellow pros and arrogance beyond belief!
@Caoimhin OโMurchadha: Weโre all just speculating. Whatโs the view in Sweden I wonder?
@Mike: No matter what way you look at it Mike heโs taking a seat on the plane that he didnโt earn, no Swedish player is going to call him out over it though because he has legendary status over there, he was a fantastic player for them over the years but this is unfair.
@Mike: Studying abroad and have met a lot of swedes and they would all welcome him back. Heโs a hero in their eyes, the greatest ever swede.
@Caoimhin OโMurchadha: Any player in the squad earns their place. Heโll hardly be the only player to not feature regularly or at all in qualifying to be in a World Cup squad.
Theyโve qualified purely down to the fact that he wasnโt there. Theyโre a team without him.
Iโd never wish an injury on any sports player, but I wouldnโt be surprised if a few of the Swedish strikers might be getting a few voodoo dolls. Absolute awful behaviour from Zlatan and from the coaching staff if they allow him.
My guess he wonโt be picked
Must be a slow news day. This article was first posted at 6.15pm yesterday and the article about Man Unitedโs loss to West Brom was posted at 5.50pm yet these are the top 2 stories on 42 this morning having been re-posted. Bad journalism. You need to do better.