Alessio Tacchinardi: "Paul Pogba is a pure diamond"

Former Juventus midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi has described Paul Pogba as a "pure diamond".

The French international joined the Italian champions from Manchester United two years ago, helping the club to back-to-back Serie A titles since his arrival.

Tacchinardi told Corriere dello Sport: "Pogba is a pure diamond. He has grown up to become a devastating player. Ever since his first Juve game, I thought he was an extraordinary player.

"He has the ability to make the very complex appear so simple, dissolving tricky situations. Before watching Pogba, I had only observed four people with whom I had played like that, Juan Roman Riquelme at Villarreal, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus, and Francesco Totti for Italy.

"There are some midfielders who define an era. This will be the age of Pogba, he is the prototype central midfielder that any coach would want as he can play offensively or defensively."

Pogba was voted the best young player at this summer's World Cup in Brazil.