HUGO LLORIS has revealed Paul Pogba was on a mission to prove a point to the English.
And Tottenham keeper Lloris, who skippered France, has no doubts Pogba will raise his game a couple of notches in the Premier League next term.
Pogba returned to Manchester United from Juventus for a world-record £89million transfer last season — but hardly set the world alight.
In Paris on Tuesday, however, the 24-year-old midfielder was one of the star performers as the ten-man hosts beat England 3-2 — and they could have scored far more.
Spurs star Lloris said: “Maybe Paul had something to prove against England, because he belongs to one of the world’s best clubs, plays in the Premier League — and he has to show his level.
“Against England, he was fantastic as a midfielder, he helped the team a lot to manage the ball.
“I have no doubt that he will get better and better next season.”
Lloris, 30, also expects a major improvement from other French players, including Spurs target Thomas Lemar.
Asked whether he had spoken to Monaco midfielder Lemar over a move to London, the keeper grinned and said: “You are right to ask the question, but I cannot reply!”
Lloris was also quizzed over whether he felt Lemar, 21, along with 18-year-old superkid Kylian Mbappe could deliver in English football.
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He added: “The Premier League is very exciting.
“All the clubs have the capacity and the ability to bring in the best players in the world.
“In France, we are used to having a lot of talented players and it’s true that the new generation are fantastic.
“We need to give them time to get the right maturity.
“But as they showed, they are ready to compete at the best level.
“Talent is not enough. You need to work, to work hard as a team, individually too, especially at this level.
“We can be very proud of our performance, especially in the second half, with ten men.
“But we need to improve as a team, because when there is pressure in an important game, we need to be able to get the possession of the ball better, to be stronger too and to manage the rhythm of the game.”
Despite their talents, France are not guaranteed a World Cup spot.
They are second behind Sweden — although level on points — so France are in a play-off spot with two games to go. But they are three points ahead of Holland, who they play next on August 31.
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