Paul Pogba showing ‘difference of generations’ rather than disrespecting Graeme Souness, says Rio Ferdinand

Some have purposely escalated the perceived criticism on both sides to entirely unwarranted levels

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says the ongoing clash of words between Graeme Souness and Paul Pogba is down to honesty, not disrespect.

After Souness, in his role as a pundit, spoke about the United midfielder’s game, Pogba was in turn asked about the former Liverpool and Scotland star.

The French World Cup winner responded that he didn’t know who Souness was as he didn’t tend to watch post-match analysis of football matches, but some interpreted that as being dismissive of Souness being a ‘nobody’—leading, in turn, to Souness issuing another response when it was put to him in the latter light.

Ferdinand, though, says Pogba was merely being honest and not insinuating that Souness wasn’t worth knowing about.

“For Paul Pogba to say he doesn’t know who [Souness] is or wouldn’t know him as a footballer, I believe that. It’s not disrespectful, he doesn’t know him,” Ferdinand said on The Beautiful Game podcast.

“As great a player as Souness was – he was a top player, one of the best.

“If you were talking about the best British midfielders we’ve produced, he’s in the conversation, 100 per cent, Graeme Souness was a good player.

“But Paul Pogba doesn’t know him. Simple as that, and that’s the difference of generations. I don’t think it’s disrespectful.”

Pogba has played just eight times in 2019/20, but was on the verge of a return to fitness prior to the season being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

His future, however, remains subject to some speculation amid reports that Real Madrid and Juventus want to sign him this summer—and Ferdinand added that he has told Pogba to stop talking through his agent to avoid further problems in future.