Ibrahimovic tells Pogba to get used to pressure

Midfielder has come under scrutiny following his underwhelming performance in United's 1-1 draw with Liverpool

LONDON: Manchester United star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told teammate Paul Pogba to embrace the pressure he is under and use it to his advantage, just as the Swede has done throughout his trophy-laden career.

Pogba, who returned to United from Italian club Juventus for a world record fee of £89 million in August, has struggled to live up to his hefty price tag this campaign.

The France midfielder has come under further scrutiny following his underwhelming performance in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool.

"Pressure is something I enjoy. I don't know but Paul should personally be able to answer that for him. But I think he likes it [pressure] also because, without pressure, we would not be on our toes at the top level," Ibrahimovic told British media. "If you want to play at the top, pressure is 24 hours and if you play better, then the pressure becomes even greater.

He added: "So it's something that we learn from and something we have to handle because we belong to the top. Paul belongs to the top, absolutely, and the pressure will be there."

United, who are sixth in the league, are 12 points behind leaders Chelsea as they travel to face ninth-placed Stoke City on Saturday.