Jose Mourinho Comments on Paul Pogba After Manchester United vs. Fenerbahce

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho praised Paul Pogba following his brace in Thursday's 4-1 UEFA Europa League win over Fenerbahce and hit out at the "Einsteins" who have criticised the Frenchman since his return to Old Trafford. 

Per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson, he said: "First of all, in some of your mouths, he goes from the worst player in the Premier League to a great player in 48 hours. I am not specifically saying it is you. I say media, especially the Einsteins."

Mourinho criticised the so-called Einsteins earlier in the campaign when he and his side came under scrutiny during a difficult period in which they lost three successive matches to Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford.

James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images

Pogba's world-record £89 million transfer fee has seen him singled out in particular for criticism as the Frenchman has thus far struggled to replicate the stunning form he enjoyed at Juventus.

The midfielder opened the scoring with a penalty and doubled his tally with a superb first-time strike into the top corner from outside the area.

Football writer Liam Canning is hoping to see more of the same from Pogba:

Mourinho called for continued patience as Pogba readjusts to life at Old Trafford:

"

We know he is a very good player. We know he needs some time to show his potential. I know Italian football very well. I know teams play completely different from the Premier League.

I am not saying we are better but we are different. Different in the intensity, the number of touches on the ball, everything is different and he needs time to adapt.

"

Indeed, given he only made seven senior appearances for the club prior to joining the Bianconeri as a teenager, it's likely he'd need almost as long to adapt to the rigours of English football as a player coming to the Premier League for the first time.

According to the Special One, Pogba has not let his somewhat underwhelming form affect his self-belief: "He is a self-confident boy. He was not depressed because some people said he was a bad player. He was not depressed. He was calm."

The 23-year-old was one of several players to stand out on Thursday amid a strong team performance, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

United have shown they can perform very well under Mourinho but only in isolated games so far, such as the 4-1 win over Leicester City.

What the Red Devils need to do now is show they can do it more regularly and against sterner opposition—the Foxes have been well below the standard they set last year in the Premier League, and Fenerbahce offered little challenge, as Jackson noted:

United travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday before hosting City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

At the very least, they cannot afford to lose to the Blues, as it would leave them four points behind Antonio Conte's men and potentially eight points adrift of Arsenal and City.

While the League Cup may not be a priority for Mourinho, a win on Wednesday would also be a welcome boost to their confidence and to supporters' morale, especially after losing the first Manchester derby of the season.

As for Pogba, he too needs to show he can live up to his reputation against the biggest and best teams.