You'd think that, if there was ever a time Graeme Souness would lay off Paul Pogba, it might be in the aftermath of a game that saw him equal the Premier League record for most assists in one game.
Incredibly, Souness proved his doubters wrong on Sunday, by showing he still hasn't given in to the Pogba hype.
Graeme Souness indifferent about amazing Paul Pogba performance
Pogba starred in Man United's blistering opening day win over Leeds, contributing four assists to a 5-1 win. The quality of his play was generally outstanding, and he drew praise from teammates, coaches, and pundits alike as he helped Man United to a perfect start.
Dennis Bergkamp ✅
Jose Antonio Reyes ✅
Cesc Fabregas ✅
Emmanuel Adebayor ✅
Santi Cazorla ✅
Harry Kane ✅
Paul Pogba ✅
The Frenchman becomes the seventh player in Premier League history to assist 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧 goals in a single game 🔥— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 15, 2021
Sky pundit Graeme Souness has had a long-established frosty relationship with Paul Pogba, and he upheld his reputation on Sky's coverage of Super Sunday.
Before the buildup to the afternoon's two games, the panel of Souness, Micah Richards, and Michael Dawson looked back on United's performance - and Souness refused to praise Pogba's contributions.
Souness: We have four title contenders. I think you have to include United in that. Looking at them yesterday they looked threatening, positive, they've got a bit of momentum, the crowd seemed to be with them, they've signed good players.
For me, yesterday, the star of the show was Greenwood, you know for a young boy I thought he was sensational.
Richards: (laughing) Pogba's had four assists!
Souness: We expect that from a 100 million pound man.
Souness 🗣 "For me, the star of the show was Greenwood."
Micah 🗣 "Pogba's had four assists."
Souness 🗣 "We expect that from a 100 million pound man."@MicahRichards not allowing Graeme Souness to forget Paul Pogba's performance against Leeds United pic.twitter.com/IvRPkHo6ir— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 15, 2021
It can't be denied that Pogba's time at Old Trafford has, at times, been less than smooth. The actions of his agent Mino Raiola, in particular, have frequently led pundits - as well as Man United fans - to question the Frenchman's commitment to the club.
Souness has been inarguably been the most critical of Pogba in the media. However, off the back of a stellar EURO 2020 for France, and a strong finish to last season, he is at least putting in the performances worthy of his stature at the club.
We can't say we expected Graeme Souness to fully join the Paul Pogba fan club off the back of his performance against Leeds but, if this Pogba continues to show up for United this season, it will be hard for the former Liverpool man to continue in this vein.
For Man United fans, the hope will be that Souness will be forced to change his line on Pogba sooner rather than later.