Paul Pogba: Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho hopes player 'understands why he was good'
Last updated on .From the section Man Utd
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he hopes World Cup winner Paul Pogba "understands why he was very good" during the tournament.
Red Devils midfielder Pogba scored as France beat Croatia 4-2 in the final to win the World Cup for the second time.
Mourinho said the 25-year-old was "absolutely brilliant" in Les Bleus' final three matches in Russia.
"It's about him understanding why he was so good, especially in the second part of the competition," he said.
"I think that's the point, about his performance level and his contribution to a winning team."
Pogba joined United for a then world record £89m in August 2016, but fell out of favour at times during the 2017-18 campaign.
He was left out of the starting line-up for both legs of United's Champions League last-16 defeat by Sevilla.
After France's victory on Sunday, former United defender Rio Ferdinand said it was "down to Jose to unlock this Pogba we saw at the World Cup because he was responsible, he stood up to a lot of hard tests in midfield, and was a talisman for this team".
While the Red Devils have travelled to the United States for their pre-season tour, Pogba is resting after his exploits in Russia.
Mourinho, speaking in Los Angeles, said: "I did with Paul what I did with all my players.
"I sent a nice message before the World Cup and during it I did not disturb anyone. They needed to focus on the job for their national team.
"After the World Cup I sent a different message than to the other guys because he won the competition."
Meanwhile, Mourinho said goalkeeper David de Gea, midfielder Nemanja Matic and new signing Fred are due to link up with the squad next week.
Forward Alexis Sanchez has missed the start of the tour as he has been unable to get a visa.
"He's very sad. It's not good for him or me, not good for anyone," said Mourinho.
"There is no-one to blame - the club is making an effort. I have to respect the US authorities in their process of selection of visas."
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The simple answer is because Didier Deschamps was managing him and not the you Mourhino you the bus driver!
Pogba is not a Mourinho player. I also don’t think the pace of the Premier League suits Pogba. His relaxed playing style (akin to Veron) to make killer passes requires time and space, something he got in Serie A, but not in the Premier League.
In the final, Kante was out of sorts (they say he had a stomach bug), kept chasing the ball like a headless chicken. Matuidi was at least 10 or 15 yards from where Croatia tried to dominate. I'm not a fan of Pogba, but he held his own against the best midfield trio in the world cup. Probably a one off, but give credit where it's due.
A misdemeanour has been committed and he must accept the restriction that goes with it.
The suggestion seems to be Pogba isn't good for Man U and needs to figure out how to perform better. Could it conceivably be that Mourinho's constant criticism of his players isn't helping them perform well?!
He should do more to nurture and bring out the best in the team he manages.
The reason?
It doesnt suit his game because he doesnt get the space and cannot influence games as much.
The Italian and Spanish leagues are perfect because he has all the time in the world.
He's another foreign player that simply couldnt cut the mustard in the high tempo cauldron of the prem.
Get rid.
He is no scholes
He is no gerrard
He is no lampard
He is just ok
Funnily enough, he's on a world cup winning side. None of the above were. So, he might be ok but so what? France won the world cup. End of!