Paul Pogba caused Manchester United 'all sorts of problems' with performance against Tottenham

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Paul Pogba was responsible for causing his Manchester United teammates “all sorts of problems” during their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, according Danny Murphy.

The Frenchman was withdrawn just after the hour mark for Marouane Fellaini – who was subsequently substituted himself seven minutes later – after failing to make an impact as Spurs overran United.

The defeat brought an end to Pogba’s 36-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League that spanned back to 2016.

Jose Mourinho played Pogba in a deeper central midfield role against Spurs and Murphy believes whole he is a world-class attacking midfielder, he doesn’t have the mindset to fulfil the defensive responsibilities bestowed on him.

“Pogba is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, but defensively he is reactive rather than proactive,” Murphy said on BBC’s Match of the Day. “[Phil] Jones and [Chris] Smalling kept getting dragged out because Pogba kept vacating that space next to [Nemanja] Matic, and it just caused United all sorts of problems.

“Pogba has been great for United and I prefer him in a more attacking role. In terms of his defensive discipline, it’s not really in his nature.”