Seething Graeme Souness turns his back to the cameras after Micah Richards insists Paul Pogba is unfairly treated, yet Harry Kane is seen as a ‘saint’ in HEATED debate over transfer sagas
- Richards defended Pogba, saying he has never talked about wanting to leave
- But Souness insisted that Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola spoke on behalf of him
- The pair waved their hands, talked over one another and raised their voices
- Souness then curtly asked Dave Jones to move on and talk about something else
- Richards then fired a parting shot, adding that pundits ‘are here to be neutral’
Graeme Souness and Micah Richards were embroiled in a heated discussion about Paul Pogba and Harry Kane after Tottenham beat Manchester City 1-0 on Sunday night despite Kane’s absence from the squad.
While disagreeing on Pogba’s contribution to debates regarding his Manchester United future, the pair raised their voices, gesticulated passionately to defend their standpoint and talked over each other.
Souness turned his back on the camera to calm himself down, and when the debate continued abruptly asked presenter Dave Jones, who was struggling to keep control, to move on and talk about something else.
Graeme Souness (above) and Micah Richards were embroiled in a heated debate on Sunday
He and Richards (above) disagreed about transfer sagas involving Paul Pogba and Harry Kane
Last year Pogba’s high-profile, controversial ‘super agent’ Mino Raiola publicly stated Pogba would leave Old Trafford and that his career there was over, on the eve of a crucial Champions League game against RB Leipzig, which United lost 3-2 and were subsequently eliminated – in a move which angered fans and former players.
However, Pogba has rarely spoken so openly on the topic, and it seems not to have affected his recent form on the pitch, with a stellar performance and four assists in a 5-1 drubbing against Leeds in United’s first Premier League game of the season – a point former Manchester City defender Richards was quick to make.
He said: ‘His agent might have done the talking, but he’s not done anything. He’s just gone out there and tried to do the best he could – and Kane the same, that’s what players want to do’ but Souness interjected: ‘Do you think the agent speaks without the permission of the player? Do you think the agent just talks out nonsense?’
Richards replied immediately: ‘I actually do, I actually do, definitely’ with Souness responding: ‘Not a chance, not a chance. He’s echoing the thoughts of the player.’
Pogba’s powerful and controversial agent Mino Raiola has often spoken publicly about the midfielder wanting to leave Manchester United – but Pogba himself has remained tight-lipped
The 33-year-old jumped back in, adding: ‘Even if he is-‘ before Souness, visibly frustrated, said: ‘Can we move on from Manchester United? We haven’t got much time left, can we talk about Liverpool?’ As Jones laughed, Souness turned in a circle, facing away from the camera to compose himself, as Gary Neville spoke up.
Neville said: ‘Let’s put it this way. If your agent comes out and says three or four times ‘I want to get Paul a different club’, Paul does enough interviews to say ‘My agent’s out of order, he’s got that wrong’ – he’s never said that either, has he?’
Richards replied: ‘He’s not going to do that though, is he? You wouldn’t do that with your agent,’ and Neville continued: ‘I didn’t have an agent. My strings weren’t being pulled by anyone, I wasn’t a puppet’ as Richards and Jones giggled.
Richards then compared Pogba’s situation to Spurs striker Kane, who was left out of the squad, reportedly for fitness reasons only despite City’s serious and long-held interest in signing the England captain.
And Richards questioned the criticism of Pogba compared to Tottenham striker Harry Kane (above), absent from the club’s win against Manchester City amid transfer links to the Cityzens
The ex-England man added: ‘I’m only mentioning it because it’s similar to the Kane situation. Kane’s not turned up for training and we’re calling him a saint. Pogba’s never said he wants to leave but he’s getting abuse! What’s the difference?
An angry Souness shot back: ‘My information about Kane, it’s not that he didn’t turn up for training, there’s another story behind that. Can we move on and talk about Chelsea or Liverpool please?’
Jones, playing mediator, concluded: ‘Shall we park that there?’ but Richards had the last word, saying: ‘We’re meant to be neutrals’.
That final comment could have been a reference to Souness, who has criticised Pogba in the past and claimed Mason Greenwood was the ‘star of the show’ against Leeds rather than Pogba, insisting his four-assist performance should be ‘expected.
