Paul Pogba was one of France’s highlights in the 2018 World Cup title, even scoring one of the goals in the final against Croatia. Despite this, for José Mourinho, the athlete “lost track” after the victory.
Mourinho and Pogba worked together at Manchester United between July 2016 and December 2018. In an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraphthe Portuguese coach revealed that the Frenchman returned to the club differently after the World Cup.
“The only thing I will say is that this happens to almost everyone at some point in their career: you lose a little sense of who you are and what you should be,” he said.
“In the season following France’s World Cup victory [de 2018], I think Paul came back different. The World Cup brought him to a dimension where football wasn’t the most important thing for him,” he added.
See what Jose Mourinho had to say about Paul Pogba: https://t.co/cnceHiYPd5 pic.twitter.com/XGM99lTgvT
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 15, 2017
While Pogba only left United in 2022, Mourinho left just a few months after the end of the 2018 World Cup. The midfielder did not start in any of the coach’s last three games in charge of the English team, which left players and fans with divided opinion.
Mourinho hinted that he did not have the support of United’s board before he was fired.
“When you are supported by power, by the hierarchy, the message you send is very positive in the group. When you are not supported, because the player is more important, you are in a fragile situation. Even if you are a coach with so much experience as was my case”, he commented.
José Mourinho is currently without a club since he was fired from Roma in January this year. Pogba was caught doping and is suspended from football for four years.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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