The Frenchman hasn’t been enjoying his football lately.
When a player costs a club £89m, they don’t just sign a contract – they sign an agreement to pretty much surrender any semblance of peace and quiet. Paul Pogba is a striking example of that. The Frenchman, who was regarded as a major coup when Manchester United re-signed him from Juventus two summers ago, has cut a fairly disconsolate figure in recent weeks.
The 24-year-old lolloped around Wembley for 63 minutes in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham before being replaced by Juan Mata. Jose Mourinho then dropped him for the Huddersfield game three days later. Pogba was restored to the starting line-up for the trip to Newcastle last weekend but, again, he struggled to assert his influence on proceedings, being overrun by Jonjo Shelvey before being hooked in the 66th-minute for Michael Carrick.
As you would probably expect with a player of Pogba’s natural ability and profile, the criticism has been stinging. Graeme Souness, writing in his Sunday Times column, offered a searing appraisal of his in-gamer contributions, likening him to a child chasing after the ball in the playground.
While that was something of an overstatement from a long-time Pogba sceptic, the murmurings of discontent are becoming increasingly audible. Pogba’s miserable expression after being substituted against Newcastle was impossible to misinterpret. He’s not exactly loving life at United at the moment – and L’Equipe think they know why.
According to a report in the French newspaper, Pogba and Mourinho’s relationship has become strained in recent weeks, with the outlet going as far as to say the player has ‘some regrets’ over moving back to the Premier League side following a successful stint at Juventus.
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L’Equipe states that Mourinho has become ‘difficult.’ The United manager has come in for some criticism himself after repeatedly playing Pogba in a deeper midfield role, alongside Nemanja Matic, as opposed to in a more advanced position where his creativity and driving runs can shape United’s attacks in the final third.
However, the feeling of ill-will is apparently mutual, with Mourinho being ‘unimpressed’ with how Pogba has performed following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
There seems to be a disconnect. While Pogba clearly favours playing further up the pitch, Mourinho seems to have been of the opinion that he could perform any midfield role. The fact that he appears to be incompatible with Matic may be what’s irking the Portuguese coach.
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