Ibrahimovic: Pogba can cope with '24-hour' pressure on his shoulders

Matthew Judge

Ibrahimovic: Pogba can cope with '24-hour' pressure on his shoulders image

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is confident Paul Pogba can cope with the “24-hour pressure” on his shoulders following his dismal display against Liverpool on Sunday.

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Pogba, who joined Manchester United in a world-record transfer from Juventus last summer, gave away the penalty which led to James Milner scoring in his side's 1-1 stalemate in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic knows all about dealing with pressure, having played for a number of the world's greatest clubs including Juventus, Milan, Barcelona and now United in what has been a stunning career.

The striker insists non-stop pressure comes with playing at the top but believes Pogba, like himself, likes that aspect of the game and has backed him to deal with it.

He said: “Pressure is something I enjoy. I don’t know Paul personally to be able to answer that for him. But I think he likes it also because, without pressure, we would not be on our toes at the top level.

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“If you want to play at the top, pressure is 24 hours and if you play well or better, the pressure becomes even greater.

“So it’s something that we learn from and something we have to handle because we belong to the top. Paul belongs at the top absolutely and the pressure will be there.”

Ibrahimovic scored a last-gasp header as United rescued a point against Liverpool to ensure his side's unbeaten run in all competitions remained intact.

Jose Mourinho's men are unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions, though they are 12 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after drawing against Liverpool.

Matthew Judge