"It doesn't sit well with me" - Rio Ferdinand reacts to Paul Pogba's comments following Manchester United's loss to Leicester City
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was unimpressed with Paul Pogba's comments after the Red Devils' 4-2 defeat to Leicester City.
Manchester United's recent blip in form continued as Brendan Rodgers' Foxes ran mayhem at the King Power Stadium. The Red Devils took the lead through Mason Greenwood before letting in two avoidable goals.
The visitors then levelled the match, thanks to the returning Marcus Rashford. However, Leicester City upped the ante to score twice and win the six-goal thriller. Several Manchester United players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba, were in the firing line for producing poor displays in the defeat.
During his post-match interview, Pogba said:
"We deserved to lose. We have not found the problem, conceding easy goals, stupid goals. We need to be more mature, play with more experience and arrogance in a good way."
The Frenchman added:
"We need to find something; we need to change. We need to find the right mentality and the right tactic. Stick with it and resolve the problem."
Paul Pogba delivered a withering assessment of the state of Manchester United's form after a 4-2 defeat to Leicester left the Red Devils already five points adrift in the Premier League title race
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Paul Pogba's comments seemed to be an honest portrayal of Manchester United's recent form. However, Rio Ferdinand felt he would not have liked to hear that if he was Pogba's teammate. Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel (via Daily Star), the former Manchester United centre-back said:
"I dunno man; it doesn't sit well with me when I see that. I've got to be honest; if I was in a changing room and a teammate said that I wouldn't be happy. I'd be straight in asking him what he meant, what does this mean - unless I actually agreed with him."
Ferdinand, though, praised Pogba for his passion, and felt there was a sense of frustration at Old Trafford that the midfielder was not trying to hide.
"I just think Pogba is an honest guy; that's what I like about him. He's very passionate; he wants to win. That says to me that there's a frustration, an underlying frustration within the camp there. He's not hiding it; he can't hide it."
Ferdinand concluded:
"Normally you get bot standard answers (in post-match interviews), but there he said a few things that pose questions."
Paul Pogba has struggled in recent games for Manchester United
While the 4-2 loss to Leicester City was a punch in the gut for Paul Pogba and Manchester United, the result only exacerbated existing problems. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are in a rut, having won just two of their last seven games.
Defeat at Leicester.
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The drastic drop in Paul Pogba's form is also concerning for the Red Devils. The Frenchman began the season by registering seven assists in Manchester United's first four Premier League matches. However, he has come nowhere near that level in the last six games.
Inconsistency has been a constant source of criticism for Paul Pogba during his second stint at Manchester United. It remains to be seen if the French midfielder can turn the tables around as the Red Devils face a tough run of fixtures.