Henrikh Mkhitaryan has launched a defence of former Manchester Untied teammate Paul Pogba and says much of the criticism aimed at the midfielder is unjustified.
Mkhitaryan will come up against his former side this evening as Roma face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the Armenian international having opened up on the criticism often received by Pogba ahead of the clash.
Pogba has been subjected to fierce scrutiny since rejoining the Red Devils in a world-record £89m deal from Juventus five years ago, though Mkhitaryan believes much of the criticism has been unfair and says the 28-year-old is judged on more than just his performances.
“It doesn’t matter if you are Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba or someone else, they will see something in you, small details to criticise,” he told the Athletic.
“When Paul was playing everyone was criticising him for his hairstyle. I don’t think that has something to do with football, that’s his personal life.
“If he plays bad, criticise him for his bad performance, not his hairstyle. That’s not good. It has nothing to do with football.
“And you know, some people that don’t know him, some people who haven’t trained with him or played with him they don’t see these kinds of things.
“You have to be in the team, you have to see the way he trains, the way he thinks, the way he suffers and then say if he played good or he played bad.”
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