Paul Pogba needs another decade to prove he can match Steven Gerrard said Rafael Benitez

It was a return to goalscoring form for United and Pogba played a starring role, scoring a goal and creating the opener for Anthony Martial. United fans swooned over their playmaker, but Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez refused to do the same after his side were swept aside by Pogba and his team-mates.

Benitez has a special rivalry with United after five years at Liverpool and dismissed the idea Pogba could be compared to Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard. ‘No, they’re different,’ Benitez said when asked if Pogba was as good as Gerrard.

‘Stevie was a top-class player for so many years. ‘He was very consistent and could make the difference in every game, with or without the ball. ‘He was a top-class player. Pogba is a great player, but he still has to be consistent for years like Stevie was for ten or 15 years.

‘Pogba is not my player, so I don’t need to talk too much about him. He’s a great player, like the majority of the Manchester United players. ‘But I’m concentrated on trying to improve my players.’ Benitez and Jose Mourinho have rarely seen eye to eye in football, but it was the Portuguese who got one over on his rival on Saturday.