Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has told teammate Paul Pogba to assert his authority on matches more often if he is to justify his price tag.

The £89m French midfielder has had a hit-and-miss second campaign back at Old Trafford, epitomised by his form in recent weeks.

Pogba was named Man of the Match in wins over Manchester City and Bournemouth, either side of a disappointing showing in the 1-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion.

Having been subbed or left out of the starting lineup in nine of the Red Devils' last 14 matches, Matic admits that Pogba needs to do more to make his presence felt on a regular basis.

"With his quality, personality, he needs to have more confidence, needs to take more responsibility," he is quoted as saying by The Independent. "Of course he's still young, he can improve and he will improve and he showed in the game [against City] that he can always play better and better.

"He took responsibility, he scored and give to other players more confidence - after his first goal we started to believe we can do something. It is exactly what he has to do. He is a great player. He runs a lot, has the quality with ball, he can score, he can defend also very well."

Pogba has started 22 Premier League games this season, while Matic has been used from the off on 33 occasions.