Jose Mourinho: Man Utd Issues Are Still There, Paul Pogba Not the Only Problem

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said the issues plaguing the club are still there under boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Paul Pogba wasn't the only one responsible for their rocky relationship. 

Mourinho spoke to L'Equipe (h/t Metro Sport) and said the team's ongoing struggles show there are fundamental issues with the club:

"I said nine or 10 months ago that after winning eight Championships, finishing second with United may have been my greatest achievement. Now people understand.

"I do not always do my analysis publicly on Manchester United. I do not want to talk about it, and I have the feeling that I do not need to speak, that time gives explanations. About United I want to say only two things: One is that time has spoken. Two is that the problems are still there."

Stu Forster/Getty Images

On his falling out with Pogba, he was asked if he was a victim and once again pointed at organisational issues: "No. The problems are there. You can imagine that the problems are the players, the organisation, the ambition. I only say that I cannot say yes when you ask if Paul was the only one responsible."

Mourinho was let go by United in December after a poor run of results, the last being a 3-1 loss to Liverpool. Solskjaer, his replacement, made a flying start at Old Trafford, with a lengthy unbeaten run that lasted until the 2-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in February. His luck has since turned, however.

He was named permanent manager on March 28, and the Red Devils won just two of their next 10 matches. Their last outing of the season was a 2-0 loss at home to Cardiff, a team already certain of relegation by that point.

Sports writer Sam Pilger questioned the decision to name Solskjaer permanent manager in March:

The Daily Mail's Ian Herbert has already called on United to sack the Norwegian:

Mourinho isn't the only former United boss who has noted the current side isn't all that different from previous iterations. Per the Mirror's Simon Mullock, Louis van Gaal told Ziggo that Solskjaer is using the same defensive tactics that made Mourinho unpopular.

The relationship between Mourinho and Pogba was a constant topic of discussion in the months leading up to the former's departure.

Per Duncan Castles of the Daily Record, the manager called the France international a "virus" in front of his team-mates after a 2-2 draw against Southampton, while the 26-year-old's brother Mathias described the tactician as the "problem" holding the midfielder back after he was sacked, per RMC (h/t Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail).

Pogba's output improved after Mourinho's departure―he scored four goals and added three assists in his next three starts―but the good times were only temporary. After the defeat against Cardiff, the player was jeered by some fans, leading Patrice Evra to tell Sky Sports they are "killing" him:

United face a massive summer in which they'll have to decide whether Solskjaer is the right man for the job and strengthen a squad that has fallen well behind Manchester City and Liverpool.

They will also have to make a decision on Pogba, who is wanted by Real Madrid, per El Confidencial (h/t Sport Witness).