Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan has said that Paul Pogba is a long way from emulating the great Paul Scholes, yet also claimed that the Frenchman could go on to become the greatest midfielder of his generation.
Forlan played with Scholes over four seasons at Manchester United, and said that the 41-year-old would have been worth more than Pogba if the pair played at the same time.
Despite not criticising Pogba directly, the Uruguayan did wonder how much Scholes would have cost if the 23-year-old is worth around €120m, the reported figure which United will pay for him.
“If Paul Pogba is to cost €120m, imagine how much Manchester United would have needed to pay for Paul Scholes? The midfielder was the best player that I ever played with, by a distance,” he said in his column in The National.
“United were lucky in that Scholes had no need or desire to leave the club when he was a player. He was a local boy and a United fan, one of the few great players born near a club who are one of the biggest in the world.
“Pogba’s a good player, I like him. He could well go onto become the best midfielder of his generation. Is he worth the figures being mentioned though? The answer – he’s worth whatever any club is willing to pay for him.”
Pogba is set to become José Mourinho’s fourth summer signing, after the new boss brought Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.
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