Paul Pogba: Man United’s Bruno Fernandes would be Ballon d’Or contender at Man City

Paul Pogba has said Bruno Fernandes would be a consistent Ballon d’Or contender if he played for Manchester City rather than Manchester United, claiming a lack of major silverware counts against him.

Fernandes has piled up impressive statistics since joining United in 2020 — with 139 Premier League goal involvements in 225 appearances — but has only won an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup in his time at Old Trafford.

In an interview with former United defender Rio Ferdinand on ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents,’ Pogba, 33, drew a comparison to his own struggles in his second spell at United, when he won two trophies in six years, and said Fernandes would be more highly-regarded if he represented the blue half of Manchester.

“We had a great team,” Pogba, now at Monaco, said about his 2016-22 stint with United. “Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] came, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan also, you know, we had a really good team.

“But in one team, you have 11 players, you know, and I’m sure that I should have done more, but I don’t know if I could have done more.

“I mean, I’m not comparing, but can Bruno Fernandes do more than he does now at United?

“Do you think Bruno, if he’s in another team, he’s not in the top three Ballon d’Or players?

“For me, you put him in City, he’s in the Ballon d’Or three.

“With the stats this season, the way he plays and everything, but when you don’t win, we don’t think about you. It’s like that, this is football.”

Fernandes is also enjoying a superb 2025-26 league campaign, with eight goals and 18 assists — just two shy of the all-time record. United sit third in the table.

“He’s not physically the same as me, he cannot jump and recover the ball like I would do, but he can do everything,” Pogba explained. “He can do everything. Like I said, Bruno Fernandes, in other big clubs, is in the top three Ballon d’Or.

“We talk about Kevin De Bruyne. We talk about [Luka] Modric, talk about [Mesut] Özil. Talk about stats, stats. He scored more than [Frank] Lampard in the season, as the same position, eight, 10, you know. He does more assists. He’s everywhere on the pitch. He has a volume. He keeps running. He’s smart. He can play two touches, one touch. He can shoot.

“They need to find somebody [to criticise], he’s at United. They need to find somebody. But football lovers will always respect Bruno Fernandes. If you like his style, the way he plays or not, this is different opinions. But football players, they will understand that this guy is a top player.”

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Pogba also had his say on another of United’s current crop, Kobbie Mainoo.

The midfielder was heavily linked with a move away as he struggled for gametime under Ruben Amorim, but has enjoyed a prolonged spell in the team since Michael Carrick took over. Pogba said playing time should be Mainoo’s biggest priority, along with a manager who trusts him.

“He played and he’s such a talented, such a talented kid. He’s still young,” Pogba, who initially left United in 2012 amid a lack of opportunities, said.

“It’s difficult. It’s really difficult. It’s the way how he feels. If he feels that, if he’s good with the manager, if the manager really trusts him, because he’s going to have all the clubs behind him, this is for sure.

“Maybe it’s not the right decision [if he thinks he should leave]. And it’s really hard for me to say he should leave when he’s so loved by the people at United. He’s such a great player, a big potential and he can do a great career at Manchester United also.

“So, I don’t know, but I just wish him the best. I don’t know, whatever decision he’s going to take. I just want to see this kid play because it’s enjoyable to see him play.”