Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho (Getty Images)
According to ESPN, Jose Mourinho has stated that Manchester United’s star midfielder Paul Pogba won’t be considered for captaincy duties in the absence of the club’s designated captain Antonio Valencia. Despite wearing the captain’s armband on three occasions this season, the manager has made it clear that the Frenchman is not in his plans to lead the team on the field (h/t ESPN).
However, that is only the tip of the iceberg as the tension between the players and the manager continues to rise. In fact, several senior players are unhappy with Mourinho’s man management (h/t ESPN).
Furthermore, the turbulent relationship between Mourinho and Pogba seems to have hit rock-bottom after the manager confronted the player regarding some suspicious social media posts that revealed the Frenchman was sitting amused and watching from the stands as United went down to Derby County in the third round of the Carabao Cup (h/t The Sun).
According to Daily Mail, Jose Mourinho had a problem with Pogba’s arrival at Old Trafford back in 2016 when the club resorted to extensive social media campaigns to announce the Frenchman’s £89million arrival. That led to strained relationships between the two even before a ball was kicked.
To be honest, Pogba hasn’t been anywhere near his best this season and the Frenchman hasn’t delivered the goods consistently.
United’s start to the season hasn’t been great, by any stretch of the imagination. After humiliation at the hands of Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur last month, victories against Burnley and Watford gave the Red Devils some breathing space. However, their hopes of getting back on the right track were cut short by a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Derby County in the Carabao Cup.
And a cold war between the players and the manager isn’t going to help the club achieve its objectives. As the Daily Star puts it down, United’s chief executive Ed Woodward has backed Mourinho to continue at the helm of affairs and that does seem like the right decision for the club.
Truth be told, Pogba has often come under the limelight for the wrong reasons this season. He was rather unprofessional in criticizing the manager’s tactics after United were held to a draw by Wolves, something that could prove to be detrimental to the team’s morale since the Red Devils haven’t fared well this season. Such actions are bound to provoke disharmony among the squad. It is his duty as a professional footballer to work in harmony with the manager and comply with his tactics on the field.
Going by the old cliche that places the club and the manager over any player, Pogba’s attitude has only made it difficult for him to stay at a club as enriched with traditions as Manchester United.
To put things into perspective, the manager should not hesitate to offload Pogba if the tensions continue to rise.
If Pogba’s relationship with Mourinho continues to go downhill, then signing a replacement for the Frenchman in the near future should be the way forward for the club.