Every so often players come along who are brilliant but flawed. Such is their ability to decide games, their weaknesses have to be accepted and teams built around them.

Does Paul Pogba come into this category at Manchester United? No. He has not done enough to warrant such special status.

Whenever I watch Pogba I cannot help but recall an observation by Arrigo Sacchi, the legendary ex-AC Milan manager. He said a great talent does not make you a great player.

“When I was director of football at Real Madrid we had some who were very good footballers,” Saachi said. “They had technique, they had athleticism but they lacked what I call knowing-how-to-play football. They lacked decision-making. They lacked positioning. They didn’t have the subtle sensitivity of football: how a player should move within the collective. And for many I wasn’t sure they were going to learn. You see, strength, passion, technique, athleticism, all of these are very important. But they are a means to an end, not an end in itself.”

Sacchi could have been dissecting Pogba’s United performances in the last two seasons. The concern for Jose Mourinho is the criticism of Pogba is familiar.

Go back to September 10, 2016 when United were beaten at home by Manchester City, but comprehensively outplayed in their 2-1 defeat.

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On the Monday Night Football show on Sky, I expressed dismay a player of his expense and pedigree showed such startling lack of understanding of central midfield responsibilities. It was frightening how poor Pogba was. At that early stage, Mourinho - one of the most tactically astute managers in the world - will have been alarmed.

I can imagine Mourinho trying to get into Pogba’s head about what is required. Here we are, 18 months on, and nothing has changed. In recent away games against Spurs and Arsenal Pogba made the same mistakes. This time it is more serious because it shows he is either unwilling or incapable of absorbing information from his manager.

Pogba’s performance against Arsenal in December summed him up. United won 3-1 and he was instrumental in the victory, a surging run from midfield creating one of the goals.

Below the surface it was an imperfect performance, Arsenal managing 33 shots on goal – a staggering, unprecedented statistic against a Mourinho team, especially in a fixture of such stature. Only David De Gea producing the finest display I have ever witnessed from a Premier League goalkeeper prevented Arsenal scoring four or five. What was United’s biggest problem that afternoon? Pogba consistently deserting his centre-midfield post.

Jose Mourinho struggles to get the best out of Paul Pogba credit: ACTION IMAGES

The solution, it is argued, is to play him in his favoured position to the left of a 4-3-3, where he enjoyed success at Juventus. I agree, and Mourinho has often used him there.

He has more freedom to roam; there is more protection of United’s defence. Many believe Pogba can do for United what Kevin De Bruyne does for Manchester City to the right of a 4-3-3.

Can he?

Does Pep give De Bruyne freedom to roam where he likes? No.

Does Pep absolve De Bruyne of defensive responsibility? No.

If the best midfielder in the country is not indulged, why should it be different for Pogba?

De Bruyne’s excellence this season is more than just as playmaker. In the last two seasons De Bruyne not only has more goals and assists than Pogba, he has made more tackles and more recovery runs than his United rival.

A comparison with the City star is brutal, but isn’t that the standard by which United’s main man in midfield must be judged? It is not enough to be the best midfielder at Manchester United. On that stage, you have to be as good as, or better, than the best of your opponents.

Kevin De Bruyne is the stand-out midfielder in the Premier League credit: ACTION IMAGES

Prior to United’s recent defeat at Spurs, the broad view was Pogba is having a good season, much improved from last year. But eight goals in his last 47 Premier League games is not enough.

Now the signs are Mourinho is losing patience, as shown when he took off Pogba against Spurs and Newcastle and then dropped him for Sevilla. The noises from the player’s camp are not promising – especially when you hear rumours of his agent Mino Raiola expressing unhappiness about where Pogba is being played and touting him to other clubs. Mourinho, empowered by a new contract, won’t lose this battle.

If performances were better we know Mourinho would happily structure his side around Pogba. At Chelsea, rather than a traditional No 10, he had Frank Lampard contributing 20+ goals a season - ideal for the 4-3-3 system. Those are the kinds of return Pogba must get closer to, but there is no evidence he is that type of player. He scored 33 in 149 games for Juventus.

He is perceived as a ‘box-to-box’ midfielder but the reality is he is not good enough in either box.

His supporters have used one of his better games – away at Everton in January - to argue that is how Pogba should be used. I was inside Goodison Park that day and he was the best player on the pitch, but Everton were dreadful. The occasional flat-track bullying performance is not enough.

Paul Pogba's performances display a lack of discipline credit: AP

Managers often have this problem, but can find a solution by isolating a feature of a player’s game where he can contribute most.

At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez felt he had a dilemma with Steven Gerrard. He saw the dynamism he could offer from central midfield, but was worried about the spaces his forward bursts left in front of the defence. Gerrard’s heroic Istanbul performance was not as a central midfielder, but as a No 10.

In 2006 he was named PFA Player of the Year, having spent most of the season at right midfield. In 2009 he was the FWA Player of the Year, having spent the season as a No 10 behind Fernando Torres.

The difference was Gerrard was world class and there were options available to Benitez. He was so influential with goals and assists it justified tweaking the system to get the most from the captain. You can build teams around players like Gerrard.

Pogba is nowhere near that level yet. He has great ability. It is yet to make him a great player.