French Newspaper L'Équipe Lambasts Paul Pogba’s Performance Against PSG

Paul Pogba has been on the receiving end of criticism from L'Équipe after the French newspaper handed out its player ratings for the Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain match.

The 25-year-old midfielder has been in fine form since Ole Gunnar Solskjær was appointed as caretaker manager in December, but he failed to make an impact in the Red Devils' first-leg clash with the French club in the Champions League.

Pogba's disappointing performance was rounded off with his dismissal in the final stages of the match, leaving him to miss the second leg at the Parc des Princes next month.

L'Équipe awarded the World Cup winner a three out of ten, which was the joint-lowest score for any United player.

Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matić and Victor Lindelöf were also awarded the same rating as the former Juventus star, while Ashley Young was the highest-scoring United player on the pitch with six.

According to the Daily Mirror, L'Équipe branded Pogba's performance as a "nightmare" and suggested that he was "non-existent" in the match.

Alexis Sánchez, who also scored a three rating, was heavily criticised for his performance. While the stats from the match showed how badly he had performed, L'Équipe lambasted the 30-year-old former Arsenal ace and said he "wandered around like a soul in pain."

Check out the ratings below.

Presnel Kimpembe opened the scoring for Thomas Tuchel's men in the second half, with an in-form Kylian Mbappé doubling their lead.

Mbappé, who equaled Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima's goalscoring record in the Champions League, believes that the reigning Ligue 1 champions should have scored again in the match -- and that he is already preparing to score in the return leg.

"We are annoyed because we could have scored a third," he told RMC after the match.

"I think with a third it would have been over. I am going to prepare myself to score another in the 2nd leg!"

PSG's 2-0 victory was Solskjær's first defeat as United caretaker manager. The second leg of the Champions League clash will be played at the Parc des Princes next month.

How far will PSG progress in the Champions League this season?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Paul Pogba, Football News, Paris Saint-Germain, Football, Manchester United, Thomas Tuchel, Champions League, Kylian Mbappe, Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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