Former Manchester United defender Denis Irwin has insisted that Paul Pogba is "going to be a big, big player" for the club despite the uncertainty surrounding the midfielder's future.

Both Pogba and his agent attempted to engineer a move away from United during the summer transfer window, with Real Madrid strongly linked with a swoop for the France international.

The 2018 World Cup winner ultimately remained with the Red Devils, though, and has contributed two assists in four Premier League appearances this season.

Irwin has admitted that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side "need consistency" from Pogba, but the former left-back is confident that the 26-year-old will prove his class this season.

"There's not too many players of Paul's quality. He's got plenty of players in front of him who have got great pace and I think he's got the understanding of being able to pick a great pass," Irwin told Sky Sports News.

"We need consistency out of him sometimes but going forward now and particularly where we've started dominating games he's going to be a big, big player for us.

"I think every team needs a risk taker but I look at him and think he's the one that can unlock doors. We've created enough chances to win games so he's going to be vitally important for us."

Despite being widely criticised during the 2018-19 season, Pogba scored an impressive 16 goals in addition to registering 11 assists in 47 appearances for United in all competitions.