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Manchester - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has warned supporters not to expect too much of Paul Pogba, who he does not believe is capable of scoring 20 goals a season.
Pogba, 23, will make his second United
debut in Friday's home game with Southampton, having returned to the club in a
world-record $116 million move from Juventus.
Pogba makes no secret of his desire to
usurp Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by winning the Ballon d'Or, but
Mourinho believes that as a midfielder, it will be difficult for him to steal
their limelight.
"I'm not expecting him, the first time
he touches the ball, to dribble five guys and score a wonder goal,"
Mourinho said on Thursday when asked what kind of impact Pogba will make.
"I expect him, the first time he
touches the ball, to have a correct pass, a good selection of pass, a good
choice, a good, simple execution and (keep) the game fluid.
"So maybe it's not an 'impact', maybe
it's just a natural improvement of the team, because he's a super football
player."
Pogba, who left United in 2012, scored 34
goals in his four years at Juventus - an average of 8.5 per season.
On the chances of him reaching Ronaldo and
Messi's level, Mourinho said: "First of all, when you speak about the best
players in the world, you go immediately to the ones that score a lot of goals.
"You don't give a Golden Ball to a
goalkeeper. You gave a Golden Ball to (Fabio) Cannavaro once, but because in
that season he was the captain of Italy, the world champions, and there were
not many (other) top players.
"(Paolo) Maldini never got a Golden
Ball. (Javier) Zanetti never got a Golden Ball. Top goalkeepers over history
didn't get a Golden Ball, so you look immediately to the ones that score a lot
of goals.
"Can Paul score the same number of
goals as Ronaldo and Messi? Not even 25 percent, I believe. I believe in a
season he cannot score 20 goals.
"So if to be the best player in the world means to score a lot of goals, that's not the point. He is one of the best midfield players, maybe I could say the best midfield player in the world."
