Anthony Martial tips Paul Pogba for Ballon d'Or win | OneFootball

Anthony Martial has leapt to the defence of his Manchester United team-mate Paul Pogba by labelling him as “the best midfielder in the world”.

Pogba has struggled for form since the turn of the year and his relationship with manager José Mourinho has been questioned after a number of ropy left him on the bench.

However, Martial has backed the Frenchman to prove himself under Jose Mourinho – and thinks the 24-year-old could even be a future Ballon d’Or winner.

“I would say that Paul is probably the best midfield player in the world,” Martial told the Daily Star.

“He is very strong mentally and very sure of himself. He’s a big guy, very technical on the ball and has lots of endurance.

“He’s still young, so he has a lot to work on and he can get even better. If he continues to improve, then I think he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or award in the next five years.”

Following the speculation, Mourinho and Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola have both moved to dispel talk of a rift between the player and manager.

“Paul accepts that he has not been playing well in the last few matches but that’s all,” Mourinho said. “It’s my problem, it’s the player’s problem.

“It’s a big lie that the relation is not good, a big lie that we don’t communicate, a big lie that we don’t agree with his positions and his involvement in the dynamic of the team.”