France boss told to bench Pogba at the World Cup

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Paul Pogba should be used from the bench by France at the World Cup, according to Graeme Souness.

The former Liverpool captain has called on Didier Deschamps to make the bold call to leave out the Manchester United star because Souness feels he can't be trusted in a central midfield role.

Writing in the Sunday Times, pundit Souness claimed that Deschamps faces a similar dilemma to United boss Jose Mourinho, who left Pogba out of his side towards the end of the 2017/18 season.

"There are question marks about France," wrote Souness.

"Like Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, Didier Deschamps struggles to find a system that gets the best out of Paul Pogba.

"He should draw a line under that. You can't trust him as a central midfielder and, ultimately, that's how Deschamps will see it. He could use Pogba as an impact substitute.

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

"If you're 1-0 up, you're not bringing him on to close the game down. If you're chasing the game, he might do something, but still doesn't understand the midfield role properly."

It isn't the first time Souness has questioned Pogba's suitability for a midfield role.

In February this year, Souness labelled Pogba "a schoolboy", while in December 2017 he stated that United were better off without him.