Graeme Souness Launches Another Attack on Man Utd Star & Claims He'd Rather James Milner
Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness has likely stirred up quite the debate after declaring that he would pick James Milner over Paul Pogba "every day of the week".
Both players are coming off remarkable midweek performances in the Champions League and have been key for their sides this season. But Souness claims to rate the 32-year-old veteran midfielder over the newly crowned World Cup winner.
Asked who he preferred between the two, the 65-year-old - who has made criticising the Frenchman a habit - said he'd rather Liverpool's Milner but would pick Pogba if he had to choose one to play against.
"That’s easy. It isn’t even a question," he said, via Manchester Evening News. "Milner, every day of the week. He’s a proper player.
"Who would I rather play against? Paul Pogba. I don’t want to play against Milner. But, with Pogba, it’s all about him and his game. He’s not going to stop me, he lets you play, and that’s one of the criticisms.
"Having the ball is only half of the game. A big part of being a top player, as he aspires to be, is you have to stop the guy you’re up against. And that’s part of the captaincy. If I’m having a good day, that means I’m stopping the guy I’m against directly. It’s not just about I’ll play and I’ll play, there’s another side to the game.
"You can’t pick and choose when you want to be bang at it."
It's no secret that the Manchester United star has been at odds with manager Jose Mourinho, with the pair having fallen out last season. Souness, though, seemed to side with the Portuguese coach as he expressed empathy for the former Chelsea boss.
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"I’m a bit like I’d imagine Mourinho is, where you see someone who’s got so much talent, but not making the most of it," Souness added.
"There’s a player in there, but I don’t think he’s getting the most out of himself. It’s criminal. I think he has to change. The guy who works with him every day is not seeing eye-to-eye with him, so he’s happy with him.
"I imagine he’d see it exactly the same way that I would: you’ve got a young man who’s got the potential to be the very best of his type in the game, but right now it’s not happening for him.
"With him, he needs to sit down and look at himself if he wants to get where he wants to be."
