Paul Pogba cannot be the main midfielder at Manchester United if they are to toughen up in the middle, according to Graeme Souness.
Pogba is a major doubt for Monday night’s clash with Arsenal, United’s first clash with another top-six club since thrashing Chelsea 4-0 on the opening day of the season.
But if the Frenchman does recover from a swollen ankle in time to play at Old Trafford, Souness believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must ask him to impose himself on the Gunners midfield.
‘United’s midfield are too easy to play against,’ Souness wrote in his Sunday Times column.
‘Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and co should have been sprinting out to put West Ham’s midfielders under pressure.
‘If you’re a defender with that in front of you and the opposition have time to pick a pass, you’re going to be in trouble and that’s where United find themselves.
‘When I played in midfield, I had one thought: “I’m going to stop the guy I’m playing against today, then develop my own game from there.”
‘In contrast, Pogba’s first thought is to show everybody how clever and cute he can be.
‘If that’s the example your main man in midfield is setting, you’re too easy to play against, and until they fix it, United’s back five will be fire-fighting.
‘They can spend massively on [Harry] Maguire, give Victor Lindelof a new five-year deal, [David] De Gea four more lucrative years and sign [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka for £50m and it will all be money down the drain.’
United spent £150m over the summer on Maguire, Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, demonstrating a clear strategy of signing top young British talent to build a team for years to come, not just a season.
But Souness reckons the two defenders they brought in will struggle to solve their problems if there is no protection in front of them.
‘I rate Maguire. He will be disappointed with how it’s gone so far, but I’d not put it all at his door,’ Souness added.
‘He’ll be compared with Virgil van Dijk because they play the same position and both were signed for huge sums, but Van Dijk joined a superior side at Anfield.
‘In four of the six seasons since Fergie stepped down, David de Gea has been United’s player of the year. That says a lot.
‘The Spaniard was unorthodox at times, stopping a lot with his legs, but stood out as their star, until last season when he perhaps wasn’t sure he still wanted to be there and lost some poor goals.
‘If their goalkeeper is player of the season on a regular basis, that’s not a good sign.
‘When a team is conceding goals, people focus on the goalkeeper and back four. Their mistakes, their vulnerability, how they seem to be caught out of position.
‘But most of the time that’s because the midfield in front of them are not doing their job properly, so they have to step out and confront situations or make saves.’
