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Paul Pogba Says Jose Mourinho Acted Like Manchester United Players 'Didn't Exist'
April 16, 2021
Manchester United star Paul Pogba doesn't think too highly of the club's former manager Jose Mourinho.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Pogba said the Portuguese would treat Red Devils players like they "didn't exist."
The French midfielder explained the difference in approach between Mourinho and current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:
"What I have now with Ole is different, he wouldn't go against the players. He wouldn't go against the players. Maybe Ole wouldn't pick them, but it's not like he puts them on the side like they don't exist anymore. That's the difference between Mourinho and Ole.
"Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho, everybody saw that, and the next day you don't know what happened. That's the strange thing I had with Mourinho and I cannot explain to you because even I don't know. So, yeah."
Pogba played under Mourinho for two years from 2016-18, winning the Europa League and EFL Cup in the 2016-17 season.
The club's best Premier League showing in Mourinho's tenure was a second-place finish in 2016-17. In the following campaign, the Red Devils made it to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League and lost to Real Madrid in the Super Cup Final.
Pogba did offer hints in the past that he was unhappy playing for Mourinho.
"There are things, and there are things that I cannot say, otherwise I will get fined," he told reporters after a 2-1 win over Leicester City in August 2018 amid speculation that he wanted to leave the club because of tension with Mourinho.
After opening the 2018-19 Premier League season with seven wins in 17 games, Mourinho was sacked by the club in December 2018. The 58-year-old was hired by Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019.
Solskjaer was appointed manager after Mourinho's firing. He led Manchester United to wins in his first 10 matches and has an 80-31-30 overall record with the club.
Pogba had an assist in United's 3-1 win over Mourinho's Spurs on April 11.