French World Cup winner Laurent Blanc has jumped to the defence of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

The former United defender rates Pogba as a better player - technically - than Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.

He told fifa.com: "I think he's an emerging player. Let's not forget that he's still young. So, in my opinion, he's still got room for improvement.

“In my generation we had players who were very physically impressive, like Patrick Vieira for instance. Technically speaking Patrick was good, but he wasn't as good as Paul is, especially in attacking terms.

“If he can exploit both his physical and technical potential, he will score goals. He is so above the others on a physical level that it will make a difference at some point in a game.

“In the coming years, I think if Pogba doesn't have any injury issues, he will become one of the key players for both France and also the clubs that are lucky enough to have him."