Paul Pogba was right to snap back at Graeme Souness as their petty squabble escalated this week, according to Dimitar Berbatov.
As he continues his recovery from injury, Pogba broke his silence to respond to a barrage of criticism aimed at him by the Liverpool legend.
Souness, now a pundit on Sky Sports, has consistently marked the Frenchman’s card during a poor season.
And Pogba hit back, claiming he did not know who Souness was, which in turn prompted the Scot to wade back in.
But Berbatov feels it was only a matter of time until the World Cup winner said his piece.
“I think this is pretty personal now, you can sense it the way these two talk about each other,” he told Betfair: “I find it all too funny, it’s like Greek Tragedy.
“Back in my early days, even when I was in my later playing days, social media wasn’t so big. It wasn’t like nowadays when players can easily get abused and you can see the opinion of pundits everywhere and it can affect you.
“We are all humans and we can all say ‘it doesn’t bother you’ but trust me, it does.
(Image: SkySports)
“It is necessary for a player to hear an outside opinion, but it must come from someone who has been there and done that, someone credible who knows what they are talking about and what it is like to be a footballer.
“However, some people talk for the sake of talking, so that they get noticed, and that can be irritating and disrespectful.
“With Souness and Pogba, I find it all a little strange, but when someone constantly criticises you, of course you are going to snap.
“Even if it is good criticism, if it is constantly aimed at you and it doesn’t matter what you are doing, at some point you are going to be like: ‘Wait a minute, am I the only player on the f****** planet here?’
“It doesn’t matter who the other person is, you are going to say something back and defend yourself, like what Pogba is doing, it’s normal.”
