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Jose Mourinho

Cape Town — Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho feels star signing Paul Pogba needs time to adjust to life in England as well as playing in the English Premier League.

Following a record £89m move from Juventus in August, Pogba has been widely criticised for his performances at United so far this season.

Speaking to Sky Sports exclusively prior to the Red Devils’ EFL Cup fourth-round tie with Manchester City at Old Trafford yesterday, Mourinho laughed off the notion that Pogba’s struggles are due to the formations United have employed so far this season.

“He can play in so many positions. The problem is not the position. The problem is not the tactical system,” Mourinho said.

“The problem is, in my opinion, somebody that comes from a different style of football and needs this time to be at his best level in football that is really difficult to play, especially for midfield players.

“I think it is really difficult to play or adapt from different realities, but he is a phenomenal player.

“He has unbelievable potential. He has years and years to develop his game, so that expectation and investment from the club is based on that — a super player for the next seven or eight years.

Mourinho added that he was well aware that the 23-year-old French international wouldn’t be the finished product when he was signed from the Turin club, even though a world record transfer fee was needed to convince Juventus to part with their star midfielder.

“He’s getting better and better and better at every level,” Mourinho added

“That’s our expectation. We don’t expect Paul to arrive here and the next day to be unbelievable. But the other thing is that we trust him so much that we pass to him this kind of feeling.

“He is a very self-confident boy too, so we are living well with the critics, if you want, and we know what the critics are.” — Sport24.