Paul Pogba sees Eden Hazard, Neymar and Marco Reus as heirs to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Paul Pogba has tipped Chelsea star Eden Hazard, Barcelona ace Neymar and Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus as the next three players to take the baton from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the top of world football. The Manchester United star refused to put himself among the contenders but said he was working hard at becoming one of the best midfielders in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated world football in the past decade. The Real Madrid star recently clinched his fourth Ballon D'or ahead of the Barcelona ace and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.

Ronaldo was also recently crowned Fifa men's player of 2016 while his Barcelona nemesis has already won the coveted Ballon D'or award five times despite being only 29-years-old.

Asked during an interview with ESPN who could be the successors to the Real Madrid and Barcelona stars, Pogba said: "You never know with those guys. In the future you can see Neymar, Hazard, Reus. There are so many young players who can replace them. You never know because in a season you can be injured for six months or twelve months... I hope they won't but you never know what's going to happen."

The Manchester United star also expressed his special admiration for Neymar who was fourth in the last Ballon D'or behind his Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez.

"Neymar is the future," Pogba said. "He is the future and the present. He makes me enjoy. I am a player, I play football but when I look at him I just enjoy. He makes me enjoy football. He is the man because he does skills. It's like he is dancing on the pitch, he is scoring goals, giving assists, dribbling. He play for himself and he plays for everyone. I like this."

Pogba became the most expensive player in the world in last summer's transfer window after Manchester United agreed to pay a world record £89m ($108.7m) to Juventus to lure him back to Old Trafford.

But asked whether he would put himself among the contenders to win football's top awards in the near future, the United midfielder said: "No, I don't put myself there. I just play and the people can talk about me. I do not say anything about myself.

"The level always go higher. You never get tired of getting better and working harder. I'm happy from where I come from to be here but that's not enough. I want to carry on to become one of the best midfielders in the world."