Michael Owen claims Paul Pogba would be 'world class' if he was at Liverpool or Manchester City

Former Manchester United and Liverpool striker Michael Owen has slammed Jose Mourinho for failing to get the best out of Paul Pogba.

Owen believes that the French midfielder would be a ‘totally world class’ player if he was managed by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola or Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

While accepting that Pogba makes mistakes and can be frustrating, Owen lays much of the blame at the feet of Mourinho.

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“I’m of the opinion that he is totally world class playing in a certain team in a certain way,” Owen said after Pogba’s lacklustre display in the defeat to Valencia

“I’m almost siding with him because I don’t think the way the team plays or the way the manager manages him is conducive to getting the best out of him.

“I think the manager has to take some of the blame – the system, the way he plays. I remember when he first signed they were trying all kinds of midfielders in and around him trying to get the best out of him.

“I think he makes so many bad decisions in games, which is frustrating because if he was playing as he should.

“If he was playing under a Guardiola or a Klopp or someone like that I think we’d be looking at certainly one of the best few players in the world, but at the moment we can’t say that.

“I feel sorry for him from that point of view but, as a player, it is frustrating when you watch him because he still looks like a 16 or 17-year-old learning the game.”