Tony Cottee has made an interesting comparison between Everton ace Wayne Rooney and Manchester United counterpart Paul Pogba.
The pair endured contrasting weekends, as the Toffees ace was visibly frustrated after being substituted off in the goalless Merseyside draw with Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Pogba’s quick-fire brace inspired his side to win the Manchester derby 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium and force their rivals to wait a little longer to win the Premier League crown.
However, Sky Sports pundit Cottee has pinpointed similarities between them and has suggested that both need to be given free roles when they play.
There has been much talk at Old Trafford about how to get the best out of Man United sensation Pogba, while Rooney has filled in a number or roles at Goodison Park this campaign.
“When I’ve seen him play a lot for Everton this year, not all the games but a lot of the games he’s been one of their best players. He is still their top scorer, he still creates things,” Cottee told Sky Sports, as cited by their transfer centre (12:27pm, Monday 9th).
“You need players around him that have got legs. If you are going to play Wayne Rooney he needs to play in a free role, exactly the same as Pogba.”
OPINION
Rooney is clearly frustrated whenever he is taken off the pitch and that is only a good thing, as it shows he still has the passion inside of him. The 32-year-old has dropped back into a midfield role in the past couple of seasons and can have a good influence on games. However, he was quiet against Liverpool and some supporters still prefer him in a more advanced position where he can score goals. Everton haven’t really been able to afford a luxury player in their side this campaign due to their mediocre form and that has perhaps hampered Rooney. Meanwhile, Pogba needs to start living up to his price tag by impacting games on a regular basis like he did against Man City.