Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has defended team-mate Paul Pogba, saying people need to be patient with him when he returns from injury.
The 2018 World Cup winner has not played since Boxing Day when he made just his eighth appearance of an injury-disrupted season.
Fernandes believes that time away, combined with United’s poor form in the 12 months prior, has caused people to forget how good the France midfielder is.
Graeme Souness was the latest pundit to criticise him, leading Pogba to say he had never heard of the Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit.
"People normally forget what you do good when you have a mistake. You can do good for 34 games, and one game you do bad and everyone will remember that," Fernandes told United's official website.
"Obviously Paul is injured for a long time, and all we know is he has a lot of qualities."
Having left on a free transfer in 2012, Pogba rejoined United from Juventus for a world record £90m in 2016, shortly after helping France to the final of the Euros.
He has since scored 24 goals and provided 25 assists in 99 Premier League matches.
Paul Pogba career stats
- Juventus: 178 league games; 34 goals; 40 assists
- Man Utd: 150 league games; 31 goals; 31 assists
- France: 61 caps; 10 goals
Fernandes meanwhile, made the move to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in January, and has registered three goals and four assists in his opening nine appearances.
The Portugal midfielder thinks his quick adjustment has been helped by United's form, with the team unbeaten in 11 matches, something Pogba rarely has benefited from.
"When he played, the club and the team was not good, because the expectations are high for Paul, because Paul is a top player and Manchester United pay a lot for him," Fernandes continued.
"It's normal when you are in that situation you don't play like a superstar, because everyone expects from Paul like they expect from Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus or Lionel Messi at Barcelona, because they know he has the qualities for this.
"More than expectations, I'm confident what Paul can give to the team. I think he has a lot to give, he has a lot of quality, and I think with the positive energy in the club – because we won a lot of games and we are in a good moment – everyone, the supporters and everything, will be more patient with Paul maybe.
"I feel sometimes when the things go wrong, the patience is less, you know? It's normal, because the fans want to win. Football is about winning; it's not about playing.
"But the confidence now in the team is bigger. So I think Paul, when he comes back, he will feel this and will give more for the next months and the next games."
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