Pogba can be one of the best midfielders ever: Henry

London, July 7 (IANS) France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes that compatriot Paul Pogba has the quality to go on to become one of the best midfielders ever to have played the game.

The Juventus midfielder's performances at European Championship had come under scrutiny after France struggled in the early stages of the tournament, but he sparked into life during the team's impressive 5-2 quarter-final victory over Iceland, scoring the second goal with a towering header as the host nation set up a semi-final showdown against Germany.

Henry has praised the 23-year-old, claiming he is playing within himself at the Euros for the good of Didier Deschamps' side.

"Forget about France, I think he can be one of the best midfielders in history. He has the quality to do that. He needs to make sure he concentrates on what he can do well," Henry was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"What I love about him at the moment is that he's doing what the team's asking him to do; maybe he's sometimes a bit more fancy at Juventus but because Griezmann is playing behind Oliver Giroud for France, he has to defend a bit more. That's the sign of his intelligence," he added.

"He's playing within himself in a way, to make sure the team has the right balance."

There has been a lot of speculation this summer surrounding Pogba's future at Juventus, with a host of top clubs from around Europe reportedly interested in his services.

And the 38-year-old is hopeful of seeing Pogba play in the Premier League, but insisted Juventus will not let him go easily.

"We all know about the quality, how good he is on the ball. He's an all-round player but he's understood his role at this tournament," he said.

"Hopefully he can come back to the Premier League - it would be great for us and for whoever got him but he's still a Juve player and they're not going to let him go (easily)," he added.

--IANS

ac/vd