The Manchester United midfielder is expected to land the prestigious prize at some stage in his career, with the Red Devils breaking the world transfer record to acquire his undoubted ability over the summer.

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At 23 years of age, time is still very much on his side.

Hislop, though, believes the France international will have to make do with living in the shadow of other global superstars for now.

He cannot see the top individual accolades going to anyone other than Messi and Ronaldo for the foreseeable future, with the Barcelona and Real Madrid icons having dominated the world stage for the best part of a decade.

The former Newcastle goalkeeper told ESPN FC: “I don’t see anybody winning the Ballon d’Or any time soon until Ronaldo and Messi decide to call it a day.

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“Let’s take the next four or five years aside. At which point, Paul Pogba will be 28 years old and, in all honesty, as much as there are a lot of players who have shown a lot of promise and may come to prominence over that period, Pogba has already been likened as one of the best in world football.

“He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or this year – some way behind the two I mentioned and Griezmann – but who is going to push? Like I say, I think it will be another four years until we are having this discussion and who knows what’s in the offing?”

Messi and Ronaldo have shared the last nine Ballon d’Or awards in its various guises, with the Portuguese forward finishing second back in 2007.

The talismanic duo are showing no sign of slowing down either, with their goal-scoring exploits for club and country continuing to set the benchmark.

Pep: Man Utd ARE still in title race

Pogba will be hoping to reach a similar level at some stage of his career, and has returned to form over recent weeks as United have enjoyed a reversal in fortune during their 2016-17 campaign.

He has now made 24 appearances in all competitions, offering five goals to the Red Devils’ cause.