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'He can be a bigger star' - Valencia wants more from Pogba

  /  autty

Paul Pogba could be a 'bigger star' at Manchester United and it's important he gets 'love' from his manager, according to Antonio Valencia.

"Paul is intelligent, a leader, a great player with talent but someone who needs the feeling and connection of a team. He is a star… but he can be a bigger star," Valencia told The Athletic.

"Paul needs the definitive love of a manager. There are players who have a lot of talent but need to feel important and to have the manager by their side. I think (Ole Gunnar) Solskjaer restored that to him."

Valencia made 339 appearances for United across 10 seasons - winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two Carabao Cups and a Europa League - before leaving the club at the end of the last campaign.

Having been part of the fabric at Old Trafford for such a long time, the 34-year-old admitted to seeing things evolve at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.

But he was impressed with a few of the talents at the club, naming Scott McTominay, Dan James, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as shining lights of Solskjaer's regime.

"[The club] has changed a little," Valencia said. "I see some positives now.

"I like Scott McTominay, he reminds me of Darren Fletcher. Scott is tough.

"Dan James, I love watching him. Rashford too. Martial could be amazing.”