Graeme Souness tells Paul Pogba to ‘put his medals on the table’ after Manchester United star claimed not to know who Liverpool legend was
Graeme Souness has laughed off the claim from Paul Pogba that he didn't know who he was and asked the Manchester United midfielder to 'put his medals on the table'.
The former Liverpool skipper, who won five league titles and three European Cups with the Reds, has repeatedly criticised the World Cup winner over a period of many years, insisting Pogba is a selfish player while also claiming he would be 'an absolute doddle to play against'.
And when asked about Souness in a recent interview with the , Pogba said he had no clue who the Sky Sports pundit was when he was first mentioned in conversation.
"I didn’t even know who [Souness] was," Pogba said. "I heard he was a great player and stuff like that. I don't know the face but the name [I do].
"Like I said I’m not someone that watches a lot of [punditry], I watch a lot of football but I don’t stay after the game to listen to what they say about ‘Why they did this’ or ‘why they did that’.
"I like to focus on football."
Souness, 66, was asked about the remarks by Jamie Carragher on the Sky Sports' The Football Show on Tuesday morning.
Carragher, clearly in a mischievous mood, said: “There’s been a story about Paul Pogba this morning and the interesting thing about it is we’re quite critical of Paul Pogba but I think when you’re a player you’ve got to be respectful certainly of certain former players with certain opinions. At times you have to take that criticism on the chin.
“So for Pogba to come out and say he’d never heard of Graeme Souness, I thought really was below the belt.”
Presenter David Jones and Souness started laughing, before the Liverpool legend eventually hit back.
“I’m happy with that," Souness said sarcastically.
Jones then proceeded to ask Souness to 'show him the medals', having won three European Cups, three League Cups and five league titles in just seven seasons at Anfield.
“Exactly, the oldest thing in football comes to mind, put your medals on the table," he demanded.
Jones laughing harder, added: “Thanks for that little interlude, Jamie.”
Souness has not been the only high-profile figure to have a go at Pogba, with Roy Keane also expressing strong opinions on his performances during his second stint at United.
When discussing the criticism aimed at him, the 27-year-old added: "I guess they miss me, I don’t know? I’m not someone that looks at always at Sky News.
"After the games, when I watch it again I watch the game, not the comments. When you know football, you don’t need someone to tell you what’s happening.
"Obviously what I hear when people are saying ‘Paul is doing this…Paul…Paul’ I don’t know. ‘One day maybe I will meet them [the critics] and ask them because I really want to know why.
"I am doing my recovery, I can be somewhere else and I hear something but I’m just doing my recovery, you know?’ If they want to speak they are allowed to speak, it’s their job to speak.
"I am used to it now. I am really used to it, it doesn’t bother me. It’s good to hear good stuff instead of bad stuff but when you play football, you know yourself.
"It’s what your manager and team-mates want, the rest is just talk. It’s selling stuff I think."
Pogba has endured an injury-plagued season in 2019/20 making only eight appearances in all competitions for Ole Solskjaer's men.
The Frenchman, who has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid and former side Juventus, was nearing a return from a persistent ankle complaint before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One United fan decided to wade into the debate by creating a cheeky video comparing the two on the pitch.
Both Pogba and Souness have played in England and Italy, though unsurprisingly, Pogba looks better.
Instead, @RizzyUtd has decided to focus on Souness' reputation as a hardman with no skill - which he wasn't - while Pogba's highlight reel sees all his dribbling and goal scoring prowess.