Pogba not worth £86 million, says Scholes

Former Manchester United midfielder says 23-year-old is not in same bracket with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has questioned whether the club should pay a world-record fee for Juventus star Paul Pogba, saying the 23-year-old is not in the same bracket as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

United have been negotiating with Juventus over the transfer of Pogba, who is a top target for new manager Jose Mourinho, according to media reports in Britain.

Scholes was Pogba's team mate when the latter was a teenager at United and feels despite his obvious talent, the France international has a long way to go before he can stake his claim as one of the world's top players and command a record fee. "He was a very talented young player, I played with him and I knew how good he was," Scholes, who is playing in a futsal tournament in India, told the Times of India daily. "I just don't think he is worth 86 million pounds. For that sort of money, you want someone who is going to score 50 goals a season like Ronaldo or Messi. He [Pogba] is nowhere there yet."

Scholes also praised Manchester City's capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Guendogan for a fee worth around 20 million pounds, according to British media reports. "I think Guendogan is a really impressive player," Scholes said. "I've seen a lot of him at Borussia Dortmund."

"If he can stay fit, I think he can be a fantastic player. I also think he is great value for the money Manchester City paid for him. I think he is a bargain."