Manchester United's Paul Pogba 'Same' As Barcelona Star In One Aspect, Says Coach

Manchester United star Paul Pogba and Barcelona’s expensive signing Antoine Griezmann may have one thing in common at the moment.

Things have not been so well for Pogba this season compared to his previous campaigns with Manchester United. The World Cup winner has been dealing with injuries since last English Premier League season and hasn’t been in his usual fine form.

Weighing in on his France national team star, coach Didier Deschamps likened Pogba’s situation with Griezmann, his compatriot currently playing for Barcelona.

Deschamps suggests that Pogba and Griezmann only need “trust” from their respective clubs in order to regain their rhythm, the same strategy he uses on the pair on the national side.

“In November, Paul [Pogba] was going through an even more difficult period with Manchester United,” Deschamps told beIN Sports. “Being with us (in France national team) gave him a boost and he had a great game against Portugal. Antoine's case is the same, it's a matter of trust.”

“They know that in the France team they are in a different environment,” he continued. “All the players can go through a bad period at their club, but I maintain the confidence I have in them. The players must bear in mind that there is competition. If at some point I think that a young man has less experience but can bring something more to the team, I will not hesitate to count on him.”

Earlier this year, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted that despite all the rumors claiming Pogba isn’t happy with his team, he never had a problem with his star midfielder.

“My job is to be open and honest with him,” Solskjaer previously told The Guardian of Pogba. “I’ve never had a problem with him. I talk openly and directly with Paul. I’m not going to tell anyone what my advice to him is but I have always had a good relationship with him.”

Pogba has been constantly linked to a move away from Old Trafford. Even to this day, the Frenchman “isn’t negotiating a new deal with Manchester United and there have been no talks between the club and his representatives,” The Daily Star reported, citing unnamed sources.

International Business Times could not independently confirm this information.

Griezmann, on the other hand, has been under fire since his move to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in 2018. The attacking midfielder hasn't made a huge impact at Camp Nou yet and was even benched by Barca manager Ronald Koeman in the club’s recent win against Sevilla.

To his defense, Koeman pointed out that Griezmann being sidelined is not a big deal as it is only part of his strategy against Sevilla.

"There is no message for [Antoine] Griezmann,” Koeman said on his post-match conference. “We decided to change the system to have depth in the team and that is why we put Dembele upfront. With his replacement, we needed someone faster than Antoine."