Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has argued that Bruno Fernandes would be a consistent Ballon d’Or contender if he played for a more trophy-laden club, suggesting the Portuguese captain’s individual brilliance is being overlooked because of United’s prolonged struggles for silverware.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Pogba, now at AS Monaco, praised Fernandes’s ability while arguing that were he at Manchester City or competing for the game’s biggest prizes, he would be on the podium for the Ballon d’Or.
“For me, you put him in City, he’s in the Ballon d’Or three. With the stats this season, the way he plays and everything, but when you don’t win, we don’t think about you. It’s like that, this is football,” Pogba said.
Fernandes is enjoying another outstanding season at United, and was decisive as United beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge recently, delivering an assist for Matheus Cunha’s winning goal to move to 18 assists for the campaign. He now needs just two more to equal the Premier League single-season assist record, jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry, with five games remaining.
Pogba drew on his own experience from his 2016 to 2022 spell at United, during which he won two trophies in six seasons, to illustrate how the club’s collective underperformance can diminish even the most gifted players in the eyes of football’s major awards. He went on to place Fernandes in the company of Luka Modric and De Bruyne as a player whose influence and output is genuinely world-class, and expressed frustration at what he sees as unfair scrutiny directed at the United captain simply because of the club he represents.
Pogba also addressed the situation of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who had been linked with a departure amid limited game time under Ruben Amorim before enjoying a more prominent role following Michael Carrick’s appointment as interim manager in January 2026.
Carrick was appointed on January 13, 2026, following Amorim’s dismissal, and has since transformed United’s fortunes with just one defeat in ten matches, bringing the club to the brink of Champions League qualification.
Pogba urged patience for Mainoo, stopping short of advising him to seek a transfer and stressing the importance of playing under a manager who trusts him. “He played and he’s such a talented, such a talented kid. He’s still young,” said Pogba, who himself left United as a teenager in 2012 due to limited opportunities. “He can do a great career at Manchester United also. I just want to see this kid play because it’s enjoyable to see him play.”
United, third in the Premier League table, are closing in on a return to Champions League football.
