It's safe to say that Paul Pogba's stock has taken a serious blow in recent days.
Stunning news broke last week that Pogba had failed a doping test in Italy, with the French midfielder testing positive for testosterone in a post-match test having lined out for Juventus against Udinese in August.
If the B sample verifies Pogba's positive test, he could be banned for as much as four years, marking quite the spectacular fall from grace for a player once touted as one of the most exciting talents in world football.
Having departed Manchester United as a youth talent in 2012, Pogba rejoined the club in 2016 for a then-English record €105 million having put in dazzling displays for Juventus during a period which saw him win the Young Player of the Tournament award at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
His second spell with Manchester United, however, did not bring the success promised when he returned to Old Trafford, and he became a target of much criticism from the media - not least from Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.
Souness' sometimes vitriolic targeting of Pogba became the stuff of legend, with the Scotsman clearly unenthused by the Frenchman's performances in the heart of Manchester United's midfield.
Speaking as a special guest at Second Captains' 10th anniversary show in the Olympia Theatre last week, Souness was asked whether he stood by his previous comments on Pogba. He not only did so, but seemed to double down on them in pointed fashion - and the language used by the Scot has understandably landed him in hot water.
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Graeme Souness criticised for most recent Paul Pogba comments
Paul Pogba struggled for consistent form at Manchester United (Photo: Shutterstock)
In light of Paul Pogba's positive doping test and expected lengthy layoff from football, it was perhaps no surprise to see Graeme Souness asked for his thoughts on the man who seemingly filled the role of "nemesis" for Souness during his time as a Sky pundit.
When Souness was brought out on stage at the Olympia Theatre by the Second Captains team last week, and left the audience in no doubt as to whether his thoughts on the disgraced Juventus midfielder had changed.
Souness was asked whether he stood by his previous criticism of Pogba, and he gave an intriguing breakdown of why he had never taken to the star despite his flashy talent on the pitch.
The ex-Liverpool captain revealed that he had believed that United had re-signed him for the wrong reasons - before slamming the Frenchman's recent antics and going in on his work rate on the pitch:
I was wrong, wasn't I?!
My first thought [when he first saw Pogba play] was, 'yeah, you're a talented boy, but you don't work hard enough.' And that's been his career.
I would say he's an extremely talented young man, he should be one of the best midfield players in the world. But he's lazy.
His thoughts were, 'I'm going to go out on the pitch and show everyone how cute and clever I am.' If you remember how he used to take penalties...he used to take the step up, step up, step up...if you were to ask a psychologist what he was trying to achieve there - he wants to be in the spotlight for as long as possible...wanting to be the star of the show.
For me, lazy, and as a Liverpool supporter I wanted him to sign a lifetime contract at Man United. That kind of individual wrecks your club. If he's lazy in matches, he'll be lazy in training. How can you get after the rest of them if you don't get after him?
When asked if he felt any sympathy for Pogba, Souness was blunt:
Not for a nanosecond. He's a lazy tw*t.
Absolutely no sympathy for him. Why would you?
Evidently, nothing has changed in Souness' mind.
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Despite the recent issues surrounding Paul Pogba, the renewed criticism from Graeme Souness has predictably not gone down remotely well with a section of football fans - including Juventus, Manchester United, and Pogba fanatics.
Souness' choice of the word "tw*t" earned him criticism, as well as his aggressive return to the offensive against the Juventus midfielder.
At what point do we stop accepting this? This was said in a professional context btw. It’s not analysis, it’s abuse.
I actually (weirdly) saw Souness at a train station this morning. He wouldn’t say it to Pogba’s face. Man is not 5’11, don’t care what Wikipedia says 😂 https://t.co/UcNyFG7Okn— Alexander (@AMonFootball) September 20, 2023
Souness claims that Pogba wants the spotlight in this but isn’t it strange he’s only now gone back on the Pogba offensive now that Pogba’s name is back in the news https://t.co/dWrJvvMmL2
— Casey Evans (@Casey_Evans_) September 20, 2023
Some journalists have also weighed in on the problematic nature of Souness' criticism of Pogba.
It seems, no matter how long Souness is out of the punditry gig, or how far Pogba goes from Manchester, this one-sided feud has no chance of stopping anytime soon.
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