sport news Euro 2020: Why Paul Pogba is so much better for France than for Manchester ...

There's a "classic moment in The Simpsons when Homer's attempts to construct a backyard barbecue pit end up resembling a disaster zone of grill parts and setting concrete.

'Ah, that's one fine lookin' BBQ pit,' he says, staring at the pristine illustration on the box. 'WHY DOESN'T MINE LOOK LIKE THAT?!'

The scene sprang to mind watching Paul Pogba play for France at Euro 2020. Serene, inspired, running the show... Manchester United fans could be forgiven for asking: 'Why doesn't our Pogba look like that?'

Whenever the midfielder replaces United red with the blue of his country, he seems to transform into a superior player who strides about the field without a care in the world.

It's been the case at the ongoing tournament. Pogba was UEFA's 'Star of the Match' in France's opening win over Germany, playing the crucial cross-field pass in the lead-up to Mats Hummels' decisive own goal.

And on Wednesday night, in a ding-dong draw with Portugal, he was the one who again caught the eye, setting up Karim Benzema for France's second with a stunning pass.

It goes deeper than just assists, however. Pogba brings leadership and composure to this France side, ensuring they didn't panic when Cristiano Ronaldo wreaked havoc, steering them to top spot and a last-16 tie with Switzerland.

And everybody rightly sung his praises. Respected French newspaper L'Equipe awarded him seven out of 10 in their ratings, which seems low but was the joint-best score with two-goal Benzema.

Alan Shearer on the BBC described Pogba's pass to Benzema as 'perfection' while ITV pundit Andros Townsend described him as the 'player of the tournament' so far despite being less influential in the 1-1 draw with Hungary.

That may be open to debate but there's no question Pogba is performing at a level in this tournament just above his best displays for United last season. And that was arguably the best of his five years at Old Trafford.

Of all the pundits, it was inevitably Roy Keane who cut to the chase on the 28-year-old the other night.

'There's no doubt he's a talented boy but I still want more from him, particularly when he's playing for Manchester United,' the former United midfielder said.

'There's a difference between the Pogba we know with France and the one we know at United.

'I think when he's with United, he maybe doesn't take responsibility, maybe there's too much responsibility or maybe there's not enough players around him who can take responsibility.'

Keane is certainly right in suggesting the calibre of players in the French team are higher than those at United, allowing Pogba to share leadership responsibilities and affording him greater freedom to express himself.

The tactical set-ups are often identical. Didier Deschamps went with a 4-2-3-1 against Portugal, the same as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the vast majority of United games.

The difference is that Pogba is paired with N'Golo Kante for France, a player who could make your average Sunday League duffer look good with his tireless endeavour shielding the defence and a proven winner for club and country.

Pogba knows that Kante will willingly and ably cover for him should he wish to carry the ball upfield or make a forward run to try and sneak into the penalty area.

One stat tells you everything: Kante and Pogba have played together in the French midfield 30 times now. They have never lost a match.

At United, with all due respect to Fred, Nemanja Matic or

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