Former Manchester United player Paul Scholes on Sunday questioned whether the club should pay a world record fee for Juventus FC and France forward Paul Pogba.
The former England player said the 23-year-old was not in the same bracket as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
United have been negotiating with Juventus over the transfer of Pogba, who according to media reports in Britain is a top target for new manager Jose Mourinho.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Scholes was Pogba’s team mate when the latter was a teenager at United.
Scholes feels that, in spite of his obvious talent, the France international still has a long way to go.
He said he has a lot to learn before he can stake his claim as one of the world’s top players and command a record fee.
“He was a very talented young player, I played with him and I knew how good he was,’’ Scholes, who is playing in a futsal tournament
in India, told the Times of India daily.
“I just don’t think he is worth 86 million pounds (about $112.75 million).
“For that sort of money, you want someone who is going to score 50 goals a season like Ronaldo or Messi. Pogba is nowhere there yet.’’
Scholes also praised Manchester City’s capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Guendogan for, according to British media reports, a fee worth around 20 million pounds.
“I think Guendogan is a really impressive player,’’ Scholes said. “I’ve seen a lot of him at Borussia Dortmund.
“If he can stay fit, I think he can be a fantastic player. I also think he is great value for the money Manchester City paid for him. I think he is a bargain.’’(NAN)