Paul Pogba praises France team-mate N'Golo Kante's tenacity as Manchester United prepare to host Chelsea

'Everybody knows that Kante can run for 11 players,' Pogba said ahead of playing against his rival

Pogba is a big fan of his international team-mate (Getty)

Paul Pogba has lavished praise on his international team-mate N’Golo Kante ahead of Manchester United’s match against Chelsea on Sunday, saying that the defensive midfielder’s ability to run for 90 minutes is his greatest strength.

The two Frenchman will go head to head in a midfield battle when Chelsea travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, looking to maintain a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

United are meanwhile attempting to close the gap on fourth-place Manchester City, who currently enjoy a four-point lead over their bitter rivals.

And Pogba thinks that working out a way to nullify Kante’s influence will be crucial if United are going to win the game.

A title winner with Leicester last season, the 26-year-old continues to light up the Premier League with lung-busting displays that this week saw him shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Kante has impressed in his first season at Chelsea (Getty)

“Everybody knows that N'Golo Kante can run for 11 players - that's his best quality,” Pogba told MUTV.

“He gets the ball and plays simple. When the manager tells him something, he will do it and he will do it perfectly.

“He's one of the biggest players for Chelsea, he makes the difference because, to be honest, when you see when they lose the ball he will lose the ball three times and win the ball back four times!

“He's everywhere! He's a big player.”

Kante scored the winning goal the last time the two teams met (Getty)

Pogba will be hoping for a different outcome than the last time two times he came up against Kante’s Chelsea.

The diminutive Frenchman scored the winning goal the last time the teams met, when Chelsea knocked United out of the FA Cup last month.

And back in October United slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.