Juventus midfielder Pogba says he is still a 'nobody'

Rome, Jan 2: Juventus' French midfielder Paul Pogba prefers to underplay his rising status in the football world despite growing interest from various clubs in the transfer market.

I am a nobody yet, I've done nothing in my career," Pogba was quoted as saying by football-italia.net on Saturday.

Pogba has been part of Juventus side that won three consecutive Serie A titles. The 22-year-old also featured in the Juventus side that lost the European Champions League fil against Barcelo.

"I also treasure the defeat to Barcelo in the Champions League fil. We lost, but as they say, you learn from defeats and mistakes. I want to win it one day," Pogba said.

And for the current season, Juventus have pulled themselves back in the title contention after a poor start to the title defence. "The last few months have been different to previous years, when we were always top of the table. Things have changed," Pogba pointed out.

"You can't say we are any better or worse than last season, but the other teams have certainly strengthened. Having said that, we are not afraid of anyone."

The France intertiol also felt that their performance suffered due to the departures of three key personnel -- playmaker Andrea Pirlo, attacking midfielder Chilean Arturo Vidal and Argentine striker Carlos Tevez.

World Cup 2006 winner with Italy and former AC Milan star Pirlo, 36, is now playing for Major League Soccer (MLS) side New York City FC, while former Manchester City and United marksman Tevez, 31, left for his childhood club Boca Juniors.

Vidal, 28, went to German heavyweights Bayern Munich on a 36 million euros ($40.73 million) four-year deal.

Forward Mario Mandzukic (Atletico Madrid) and midfielders Hernes (Inter Milan), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid) and Paulo Dybala (Palermo) were the big signings for Juventus this season.

But they took time to settle down and it reflected in the side's performance. In the first 10 matches, they were lying at the 12th spot with four losses and three draws.

"Obviously without Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez it is a different Juventus. There's more responsibility on the other players and we have to focus more on working as a unit. The same is true for me," Pogba reflected.

Pogba also realised that his performance in the midfield also hampered by Pirlo's absence. IANS