Jose Mourinho was asked about Paul Pogba following Manchester United's 4-1 Europa League victory over Fenerbahce on Thursday.
"First of all, in some of your mouths, he goes from the worst player in the Premier League to a great player in 48 hours," Mourinho told journalists. "I am not specifically saying it is you. I say media, especially the Einsteins. We know he is a very good player. We know he needs some time to show his potential."
Mourinho chose his moment. Pogba, the world's most expensive player, had just scored his second and third goals in a United shirt. The first, a penalty that he insisted on taking ahead of his captain Wayne Rooney, would have lifted his confidence.
The French midfielder has been feeling the pressure and weight of expectation since his £89 million move from Juventus. In Turin, he went from being a promising young talent in a stable and successful team to football's most highly-coveted midfielder. He adapted to Italian football quickly and is having to do the same in English football.
"I know Italian football very well," continued Mourinho as he talked about Pogba. "I know teams play completely different from the Premier League. I am not saying we are better but we are different. Different in the intensity, the number of touches on the ball, everything is different and he needs time to adapt. He is a self-confident boy. He was not depressed because some people said he was a bad player. He was calm."
Despite being taken off with 15 minutes to play, Pogba touched the ball 89 times -- one for each million he cost -- which was more than any other player on the pitch. He was also given the man of the match award and a huge ovation when he left the field. It was a positive night for the Frenchman and the first time he'd scored two goals in a game since a brace for Juventus against Lazio in November 2014.
Pogba's second goal was the type of strike -- Mourinho called it "beautiful" -- that United fans hope they'll see more of when he eventually settles into a regular position. After good work from Rooney and Jesse Lingard, Pogba blasted it into the net and danced to celebrate in front of Old Trafford's Scoreboard End. Pogba doesn't yet have a terrace song to his name, but he will have if he plays like that more often.
"It's a great feeling and a great performance from the team," he said quietly in the post-game mixed zone. "We played very well and scored a lot of goals. We enjoy playing like that and we have to be ready for the big games coming up. We wanted that win and it was very important. Scoring goals for me makes me very happy. I just try to play 100 percent all the time.