Former Manchester United striker Garth Crooks has slammed midfielder Paul Pogba following his display against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
The Frenchman did make an impact on the game - providing an assist for Jadon Sancho's goal - but was overshadowed by his opposite number Kevin De Bruyne.
The brilliant Belgian scored twice and produced an assist to confirm a 4-1 win. The result leaves City six points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table having played a game more.
United, meanwhile, are now fifth in the Premier League, one point Arsenal in fourth having played three games more.
"Big games require big players but I was alarmed by Paul Pogba's poor contribution in this one," wrote Crooks in his Team of the Week for BBC Sport.
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"If ever a fixture was made for him, this was it - and he allowed it to just pass him by."
On De Bruyne, Crooks added: "His first goal was put away with consummate ease, while his second was tucked away with the authority of a player with one hand on the Premier League title and no intention of letting go of it."
Pogba's six-year spell at United appears to be heading towards an end, as the midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and few are expecting him to sign an extension.
The World Cup winner, who started his professional career at United, was brought back to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 after impressing at Italian outfit Juventus.
The Red Devils payed a club-record fee for Pogba and were expecting big things, yet he's failed to deliver - winning just two major honours.
He's scored 29 goals and produced 38 assists in his 152 Premier League outings - and is yet to pick up a Player of the Month award in the illustrious competition.
Pogba often looks accomplished in attacking positions, yet there are question marks over his defensive reliability and cannot be trusted in a holding role.
His time at United has been dominated by off-field rows. In September 2018, he was filmed appearing to have an argument with then manager Jose Mourinho.
Then in December 2020, the player's agent Mino Raiola said Pogba wanted to leave United just hours before a crucial Champions League fixture with RB Leipzig.
They went on to lose that tie and were knocked out of the tournament, costing the club millions of pounds in revenue.
"It is useless to go around it," said Raiola. "Better to speak clearly, look ahead and not waste time looking for culprits. Paul at Manchester United is unhappy.
"He is no longer able to express himself as he would like and as expected of him. He has to change teams, he has to change the air."
At the time, many saw Raiola's comments as a big distraction and disrespectful.
"Raiola - it's happened many times before," tweeted Gary Neville. "However, surely Paul knew he was making this announcement?
"If he wasn’t aware then we should see a quote from him very soon correcting his agent. Finally, to do this ahead of Leipzig... is terrible timing for the team."
