Pogba silences his critics by playing in his best role: the No. 10

On Sunday, former Manchester United stalwart Paul Scholes, now a pundit at BT Sport, suggested Paul Pogba was neither fit nor committed enough to the team's cause, claiming the 24-year-old "is just strolling through games."

By the end of a 2-0 win over Everton - and a superb second-half that saw the Frenchman add two more assists to his tally - Pogba predictably proved Scholes wrong. Fellow pundit Graeme Souness of Sky Sports called for Pogba to be moved to left-wing since he had roamed wide before crafting both goals.

Sure, it's a reactionary suggestion, but one that speaks to the idea that Pogba should be allowed more freedom to join the attack. Giving Pogba that freedom doesn't require a radical tactical shift, though - Jose Mourinho shouldn't look any further than the No. 10 role the Frenchman played today.

Pogba has rarely been used as an out-and-out No. 10 at United. Instead, he has played 12 of his 16 matches this season behind another player in that spot, whether Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, or even Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But with Mkhitaryan facing a freeze-out and the rest better suited to other positions, the door is open for Pogba to take over as the sole No. 10.

With Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera in support, the angular French star is free of his defensive responsibilities and can focus on offensive contributions. Placed on the left wing, Pogba's mind would be split on positioning, tracking back, and making his own runs - for which he does not possess the nimbleness to go with his pace. And, as one of a two-man midfield, Pogba's work is divided by the need to support defensively as much as he can offensively.

The No. 10 hole allows a player with the freedom to roam, exploit weaknesses, and stay forward in transition. Those freedoms bore fruit on the left-hand side in this tilt but could be found elsewhere against other opposition. It also worked to a tee on both goals, with the first coming in transition and catching players mostly out of position. Pogba made a prototypical left-wing run, with left-winger Jesse Lingard at centre-forward, right-winger Juan Mata prowling close by, striker Anthony Martial directly at the edge of the half-circle, and Herrera on the right, doing what box-to-box midfielders do: getting into the box.

Pogba swung a pass over, found Martial, and celebrated when his compatriot buried the chance from distance. It was a well-crafted goal, but also one that Pogba is all too familiar with, in reverse. Typically, he is the player standing at the edge of the box, waiting for that very pass himself. His penchant for long-range strikes is well-documented at United and in 34 goals for Juventus.

Usually, Pogba scores from this very spot or he'll round-off a play with a finish from around the six-yard box, which brings us to the second goal of the night. Pogba's work ethic must be commended on this run. He started the play from deep in midfield, left-leaning, and found Lingard with a simple pass:

It may look innocent enough, but there's something important missing: Romelu Lukaku was absent after a clash of heads in the last match, and so United was without a true centre-forward who could draw defenders to him and open a path for his fellow attackers. So, Pogba did that job too. With his run, Pogba prevented James McCarthy from closing Lingard down and kept both Morgan Schneiderlin and Ashley Williams from blocking off that route to goal:

By the time Lingard took his shot, Pogba helped draw three defenders, all while positioning himself to clean up the rebound in the six-yard box, should Jordan Pickford spill the save. Whether he was hungry for a tap-in or saw the lack of support, the result was the same: Lingard's run was largely unimpeded.

This is the beauty of Pogba's play when he is free to attack and move around. Though, if you ask him, he's willing to help out defensively, as professionals do.

"I feel more comfortably offensively," Pogba said, as quoted by NBC Sports. "It's always better to be next to the strikers, to help them, to make an assist, or to shoot, but I'm happy to help them going backward with pleasure."

For his efforts, Pogba now has seven Premier League assists this season, and Manchester United has not lost in the 34 matches - and 435 days - in which he has featured since Oct. 23, 2016 (21 wins, 13 draws). When Pogba has been absent, the Red Devils have dropped five results. Talk about a difference-maker.

If there are questions about his ability to create alongside his goal scoring, he answered them at Juventus where he joint-led Serie A with 12 assists in the 2015-16 season, with the freedom to roam due to support by Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio.

With five chances created tonight, Pogba rightfully took Man of the Match honours and silenced his critics without saying a word. Still, Mourinho couldn't help but weigh in after the match, giving Scholes a piece of his mind by offering: "I think the only thing Paul Scholes does is to criticise."

It'll take more than one match to forge a similar legacy as Scholes', but with this result, Pogba made one thing clear: with respect to his teammates, there is no one better suited for the No. 10 role at Manchester United than he.

(Photos courtesy: Twitter/@FizieFirdaws47)