‘Paul Pogba was incredible’ – Andros Townsend hails Manchester United star and tells fans to ignore criticism

Andros Townsend has urged fans to ignore the criticism of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and appreciate his brilliance on the pitch.

The Frenchman has found himself under-fire for large periods since his return to Old Trafford in 2016, and has often been the scapegoat for the club's failure to deliver trophies in recent seasons.

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But Crystal Palace winger Townsend has told talkSPORT he cannot understand the negativity that seems to surround Pogba.

The World Cup winner has undisputed quality and that has been clear for all to see since the Premier League season restarted, with the 27-year-old having formed an excellent midfield partnership with Bruno Fernandes.

“I would urge fans to ignore anything negative they hear about Paul Pogba in the press," Townsend told the Sports Breakfast. "I don’t know why he has this bad reputation.

"We played them earlier this season and beat them 2-1 but Paul Pogba was incredible.

“He was getting the ball from the back four, screening the ball, we couldn’t get near him. And after the game he was singled out for criticism and I can’t understand why.

“I would ask fans to watch Paul Pogba and not listen to what’s said about him.”

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Pogba was again impressive in United's routine 3-0 victory at Brighton on Tuesday evening.

His relationship with January signing Fernandes on the pitch has got fans and pundits purring, although the Portuguese was keen to stress that United's good form has been down to a team effort.

Fernandes said: "Paul is an amazing player but I don't want to talk too much about me and Paul because it is not fair enough on the other team-mates.

"Of course Paul has such good qualities and is so important for us and I think we can combine together, we have qualities and we can play together, but also we know we have some team-mates who can do very well when we are out. I think it's not fair on the other guys if we talk just about me and Paul."