Full details of Pogba v Mourinho: ‘You’re good, not special’
The full details of Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho’s falling-out have been revealed.
It emerged on Tuesday afternoon that Mourinho had told Pogba that he would never captain Manchester United again during a squad meeting.
Mourinho seemed to confirm those reports after United’s League Cup defeat to Derby, saying the Frenchman was no longer “the second captain”.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was claimed that Mourinho was left ‘furious’ with the midfielder after his comments following a draw with Wolves.
By Wednesday morning, the newspapers offer a great deal more insight into the situation.
We start with Neil Custis of The Sun, who says Mourinho gave Pogba ‘a dressing down’ after the Wolves draw. Sounds sexy.
The manager then delivered ‘the most withering put down’ Pogba ‘has ever experienced’, telling him: “You’re a good player, not a special player” in front of his ‘stunned’ teammates.
James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph says Mourinho ‘reacted furiously’ to his carelessness in possession against Championship winners Wolves and tore at least two strips off him before the Derby game.
The Independent‘s Miguel Delaney adds that ‘this is one area’ where Mourinho ‘has the full backing’ of Ed Woodward, while Sir Alex Ferguson is being spoken of as some sort of soothsayer.
‘Some among the Old Trafford hierarchy are now more openly muttering about how the problems Sir Alex Ferguson predicted when selling Pogba in 2012 have all come true, and many at the club are finding the Mino Raiola influence difficult,’ Delaney adds.
According to The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, Pogba will now push for a January transfer to Barcelona. Let’s hope they have £200m spare.
Jamie Jackson of The Guardian adds that a £45m offer from Barcelona in the summer ‘may have been made due to encouragement from the player’s camp’, and is likely to be revisited.
David Woods of the Daily Star goes one further, saying that Pogba ‘will almost certainly be sold’ in the winter.
Pogba’s apparent desire to leave is what the Daily Mail say ‘was the reason behind’ Mourinho’s latest decision. The manager deemed it ‘no longer acceptable’ for a wantaway player to serve as captain.
