Paul Pogba sent brutal Manchester United message as Kevin De Bruyne comparison made

Former Manchester United striker Garth Crooks has slammed Paul Pogba following his performance in Sunday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

United, who will be looking to get back on track against another of Crooks' former clubs on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur, were no match for City, who eased their way to a second consecutive win over their neighbours. Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez each scored two goals either side of half-time to wrap up the win in style.

Following De Bruyne's fifth-minute opener, United did get themselves back on level terms through Jadon Sancho. The England winger latched onto Pogba's excellent pass before dancing past Kyle Walker and Rodri and curling in an excellent right-footed effort.

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But despite grabbing an assist, Crooks was hugely unimpressed by Pogba's performance. He compared it to that of De Bruyne, highlighting the big differences in the two players.

"Big games require big players but I was alarmed by Paul Pogba's poor contribution in this one," Crooks told BBC Sport, selecting his Premier League Team of the Week.

"If ever a fixture was made for him, this was it - and he allowed it to just pass him by."

On De Bruyne's contributions, he added: "His first goal was put away with consummate ease, while his second was tucked away with the authority of a player with one hand on the Premier League title and no intention of letting go of it."

Pogba, missed a large portion of this season through injury, is out-of-contract at the end of the season and is almost certain to leave the club. He was brought back to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016 with the idea of him helping