Manchester United's Paul Pogba backed to 'win the Ballon d'Or award in the next five years'

Anthony Martial has backed his Manchester United teammate Paul Pogba to win the Ballon d'Or award within the next five years if he continues to improve at his current rate.

The 24-year-old arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 for a then-world record fee of £89.3m ($114.8m) and while he did impress initially, he eventually ended up having a mixed season.

However, with a year of first-team action at United under his belt, along with the high-profile arrival of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea, Pogba has impressed so far this season.

Benefiting from the freedom in midfield that Matic's presence gives him, the Frenchman has scored a goal apiece in United's dominating 4-0 wins over West Ham United and Swansea City as the Red Devils look to win a first league title since 2013.

Martial, whose goal against Swansea was assisted by Pogba, believes his compatriot is already the best midfielder in the world and that if he continues this way, he can expect to win the Ballon d'Or award within the next five years.

"I would say he is probably the best midfield player in the world," Martial said, as quoted on talkSPORT. "Paul is very mentally strong and he is very sure of himself.

"He is a big guy, he is very technical on the ball and he has lots of endurance. He is still young, too, so he has a lot to work on and he can get even better.

"If he continues to play and improve like he is doing then I think he is also going to win the Ballon d'Or award in the next five years."

No player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or - now replaced by The Best FIFA Men's Player award - since Kaka achieved the feat in 2007.

So if Pogba has any hopes of winning it, his best chance to do so is if the duo have retired by then.