MAURICIO POCHETTINO branded Kylian Mbappe a “child” as he claimed the France superstar does not control Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe starred in Les Bleus’ 3-0 win over Poland in the World Cup Round of 16, scoring twice to help France progress.
The 23-year-old is now the leading goalscorer at the tournament with five goals, and has taken his total World Cup tally to nine.
Pochettino, who managed Mbappe at PSG, praised the forward but also warned his immaturity makes it difficult for the 62-cap star to manage himself.
Asked if Mbappe has control of PSG, Pochettino replied: “For me, it’s not true.
“He’s 23 and already won the World Cup. He’s an amazing talent, but the problem is sometimes you need to manage yourself.
“We are talking about one of the top three, top five best players in the world and it’s not easy for him to manage himself because he’s not mature enough, he’s still a child.
“But I think he’s doing well and sometimes people talk too much but it’s not like this.”
Pochettino also believes Mbappe can be stopped in Qatar and tipped England to do exactly that if they meet France in the quarter-final.
Asked if he believes England can stop the likes of Mbappe and Messi, Pochettino said: “Yes, of course.
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“Yesterday I saw a very good performance from the defensive line and the whole team, I think they played really well.
“I think they beat Wales in a very difficult game, so of course they can cope.
“All the players involved in the national team are playing for big clubs, fighting for the Champions League and Premier League.
“So I’m confident England can beat any team.”
