There have been various reports in the English press claiming that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been left scratching his head after Paul Pogba’s recent remarks about their relationship at the club. In a recent interview, the French international has revealed that all is not well between him and his manager.
Mourinho is yet to see Pogba at his best in a United shirt on a consistent basis. The 25-year-old had an underwhelming campaign last term by his high standards which was followed up by a World Cup triumph with France this summer. The Special One recently urged the French midfielder to treat each match for the Red Devils with the same intensity as those played for the French national side in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Portuguese boss also has suggested that Pogba has a tendency to lose focus for his club. In an interview with ESPN after the World Cup, Mourinho was quoted to have said, “I don’t think it’s about us getting the best out of him,”
“It’s about him giving the best he has to give. I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give the best. Why? Because it’s closed for a month, where he can only think about football. Where he’s with his team on the training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate.
“During a season, you can have a big match then a smaller match, then one even smaller, then you can lose your focus, you can lose your concentration, then comes a big match again.”
Mourinho’s comments were followed by a man of the match performance by Paul Pogba in United’s opening game of the Premier League season against Leicester City on Friday night. The Man United manager praised the French sensation for his incredible display during the post-match interview claiming, ‘Pogba was a monster’ in midfield.
Things have surprisingly escalated since Mourinho’s comments as Pogba hinted about the uneasy status between him and his manager. When asked whether he was happy with his life at Manchester, Pogba replied, ‘There are things I cannot say, otherwise I will get fined.’
The 25-year-old midfielder’s recent revelation will likely anger Mourinho but can the Portuguese manager afford to bench a player of the calibre of Pogba once again? Going by his recent performance, it would be unwise and an unpopular decision, to say the least. It seems like a lot has gone wrong behind the scenes at Old Trafford and it is now up to Mourinho to defuse the situation or risk losing his job.
The Portuguese coach needs to sit down with Pogba to clear the air so that he can get the best out of him and the team in the coming months. However, if the war of words continues to escalate between the two parties, then it is highly likely that one of them would have to move on and leave their post at Manchester. With the transfer window set to slam shut for outgoing players at the end of this month, it might very well be the case that Mourinho is the one taking the fall in place of United’s biggest star.
