Pat Nevin joined Off The Ball on Monday's broadcast for Premier League review, and talk quickly turned to Paul Pogba's recent performances.
The French midfielder has been subbed off by Jose Mourinho during United's losses to Newcastle and Tottenham, and the former Everton midfielder was scathing of the United player's performance at St. James' Park, noting his lack of fighting spirit.
"You were wasting your time with Pogba, you couldn't do anything with him, a complete waste of time. He was bullied, outran, he didn't have anywhere near the spirit of the two players he was up against. He was up against Shelvey and Diame who were all over him like a rash, and they were up for it much more than he was".
"That's what it's like in football sometimes, you can be as talented as you like but you better go and, not necessarily win the battle, but take part in the battle. He didn't take part in the battle. Matic was playing in that central midfield basically on his own".
When questioned about the reason as why he's not performing, Nevin admitted that it had nothing to do with talent, as he doesn't believe it's Pogba's talent that should be in question.
"To be honest he's got the engine to do it, he's got the physique to do it, he's got the skill to do it. Do you know what, he's got it all, but is your head right to do it? To be honest that's it, I don't know if it's anything more than that".
"You sit and watch a game of football and you can see who's giving 100%. You know absolutely, you can see it, and the people who are a few percent short, and those that are a good distance short. To be honest he just looked a good distance short".
The former Scottish winger far from wrote the United star off however, claiming that any criticism is only a performance away from being turned on its head, even if he's still dubious about his willingness to stand up to the fight his opponents are showing.
"That's taking nothing away from his ability or capabilities because he's got absolutely everything, but I tell you what, he better have the heart for every single game, and he just didn't look like he had it that game. The reason why I say it that way is because he could walk out next week and absolutely dominate anyone. But you need to fight first, and I think I think people are getting in and about him, and making it hard for him, and he's not particularly enjoying it".
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
