Deschamps claims Pogba is unlikely to ever win Ballon d´Or

France head coach Didier Deschamps believes Paul Pogba is unlikely to win the Ballon d’Or because he plays as a central midfielder.

Pogba became the most expensive player in football history when he re-joined Manchester United from Juventus in August for an initial fee of £89.3million, but he has struggled for consistent form in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old was named on the 30-man shortlist for France Football’s 2016 prize, which Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to win following Champions League and Euro 2016 triumphs this year.

The award – which merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year prize in 2010 before separating this year – has been dominated by attacking duo Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have won every edition since Kaka’s triumph in 2007.

And given that only two defensive players – Germany great Matthias Sammer in 1996 and Fabio Cannavaro 10 years later – have won in the last 20 years, Deschamps feels Pogba faces a huge task to get his name on the trophy.

“He’s a midfielder,” Deschamps told RMC. “The Ballon d’Or is for forwards or number 10s, apart from rare exceptions in certain competitions. They’re players who score goals.

“Paul has scored some, he’s going to score some, but he won’t score three goals per match. That’s not his game.”

Deschamps believes Pogba is trying too hard to win over critics of his United displays this season, in which he has managed four goals and one assist in 19 appearances.

“Even when he does things well, it’s not good enough,” Deschamps said. “So we can understand that it may encourage him to do things that are out of the ordinary but not necessarily helpful.

“He can do things that others don’t, but it must also be the reality of what is good for the team. We’re talking about a young player. He is at a club where he is also used in different positions.”