"Who do you think I am?" - Paul Pogba reveals when his relationship with Jose Mourinho broke down at Manchester United

Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho (L) with Paul Pogba.
Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho (L) with Paul Pogba.

FIFA World Cup winner Paul Pogba has revealed that his relationship with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United broke down after one of his injuries.

Pogba and Mourinho had a well-documented spat during their time together at Old Trafford. That said, the midfielder did play well initially under the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss. They won the EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League in the 2016-17 season, their first one together.

However, reports soon began suggesting that they were getting into arguments on the training ground. The Sun even reported that the Portuguese tactician called the Frenchman "a virus" in front of all his teammates back in December 2018.

Mourinho apparently did so following Pogba's performance in a 2-2 draw against Southampton at St. Mary's in the Premier League.

However, the 29-year-old recently revealed that the problems between the two began when he picked up an injury and traveled to Miami for rehabilitation. Speaking in his new Amazon Prime documentary, Pogba said (as quoted by GOAL):

“It started when I got injured. I said I was going to Miami to do rehabilitation. A paparazzi took a photo of Zulay [Pogba’s wife] and me. Jose sent the picture to Mino [Raiola]. I didn’t like that at all. He said he’s on holiday when we are working like [expletive].”

He continued:

“I told Mourinho are you serious? I’m injured. I train three times a day here. Who do you think I am? It was new to me to have an issue with my coach.”

Manchester United ultimately parted ways with Mourinho midway through the 2018-19 campaign. The 59-year-old left after leading the Red Devils to 84 wins in 144 matches while suffering 29 losses across all competitions. United notably haven't won a major trophy since the Portuguese's departure.


Paul Pogba set to leave Manchester United this summer

More than three years after Mourinho's exit, Manchester United announced earlier this month that Pogba would be leaving Old Trafford. The Frenchman will depart on a free transfer as his contract was due to expire on June 30 and negotiations regarding a new deal hit a roadblock.

Pogba will leave the Red Devils having made 232 appearances across all competitions. He recorded 39 goals and 51 assists in that period, but has simply not justified the £89 million fee Manchester United paid Juventus to bring him back in 2016.

His next club remains unknown at the moment, but Sky Sports recently reported that his representatives are finalizing a return to the Bianconeri.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee
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