Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has stated that the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has had a knock-on effect on Paul Pogba's role in the starting XI.
Jamie Carragher said that prior to Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival, Paul Pogba played on the left which gave Manchester United something extra in attack. However, since Ronaldo arrived, Pogba has been forced to play in midfield again, which does not do Manchester United any good.
Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football program (via the Manchester Evening News), Jamie Carragher said:
"The first thing is that Pogba has to come out of central midfield, but the reason he is playing there comes back to the Ronaldo signing."
"I said when he signed that this is a better signing for the Premier League than it is for Manchester United. As soon as he (Cristiano Ronaldo) signed, I knew that he was the type of player that you cannot leave out and you have to play through the middle. What's the knock-on effect? Pogba going to the left at the end of last and beginning of this season, United almost fell on to something."
Jamie Carragher believes Paul Pogba does not have the discipline to play in central midfield. The former Liverpool defender, however, added that there was no need to drop Pogba altogether.
"Pogba has to play central midfield with Ronaldo coming, he's got too many options. But when Pogba plays central there is a disconnect there, he's not disciplined enough to play central midfield. I'm not saying he should be out of the team, but he shouldn't be in central midfield."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba have had poor showings in the last few games
Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba are arguably two of Manchester United's most important players alongside Bruno Fernandes. However, the pair haven't been performing at the level expected from them over the past couple of matches.
Ronaldo has now gone three Premier League matches without scoring a goal. Coincidentally Manchester United have failed to win any of those three games, losing twice and getting a draw in the other.
The last time Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal in the Premier League was against West Ham United on the 19th of September. This was also the last time Manchester United won a league match.
Paul Pogba, on the other hand, had an outstanding start to the new season, registering seven assists in the first four matches. However, the 28-year-old midfielder has failed to make a single goal contribution in the past four matches.