Kingsley Coman believes criticism of Paul Pogba at Manchester United is not justified, as he feels his France team-mate is there to provide balance rather than score all the goals.
Pogba returned to Manchester from Juventus to widespread fanfare in the summer of 2016, with the Frenchman tipped to lead United back to the summit of the Premier League.
There have been moments of brilliance and games where he has looked world class, but he has also struggled on occasions and last season he was beset by injuries.
With Bruno Fernandes now the main man in United’s midfield and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signing Donny van de Beek from Ajax in the summer, Pogba is under pressure to deliver.
Coman, no stranger to huge expectations during a fledgling career that has seen him represent Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and now Bayern Munich, believes Pogba is not deserving of the criticism he has received.
“I know Paul,” Coman told the Daily Mail . “Football is a lot in the head and the way you feel. When we are together in the national team, I know he feels so good.
"I am not in Manchester with him, so I don't know how he is when he's there, but in the national team he plays free in his mind, he can use all of his qualities.
“Maybe the pressure is different. In his first year in Manchester, I think he was the best player. He had the most assists, I think, but people were still not happy. They bought him and he was expensive but he is not supposed to be the one who scores all the goals and provides all the assists. He is there to give balance.”
Coman pointed to his former Bayern team-mate and summer signing for Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara, as an example of a midfielder who is lauded for what he does other than scoring goals.
“Thiago didn't score a lot of goals for Bayern, for example, but what he did was so important in the team, as important as Robert Lewandowski, who scores 50 goals,” Coman said.
Coman and his Bayern team-mates begin the defence of their Champions League crown at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, and the France international is determined to give the fans something to celebrate this term, after last season’s final win over Paris Saint-Germain was played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“In this moment you want to feel like you are the King of Europe and we missed seeing our fans,” Coman, who scored the winner against PSG, said. “We are going to try to make it happen again this year.”
