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EXCLUSIVE
BIG SAM'S VERDICT

‘Man United form has nothing to do with Jose Mourinho’ – Sam Allardyce defends boss and hits back at Paul Pogba

Big Sam tells the World Cup winner to get his head down and work harder on the pitch, rather than slate his manager’s tactics to the press

Sam Allardyce has defended Jose Mourinho, telling talkSPORT the Manchester United players are to blame for the team’s poor form – NOT the manager.

Mourinho was critical of his players' attitude on Saturday after watching them scrape a 1-1 draw with Wolves at Old Trafford.

The result came on the back of a series of good results for the Red Devils, as they recovered from a terrible start to the season to win three straight games.

But it appeared their old lifeless form made a return on Saturday, which led to captain Paul Pogba attacking Mourinho’s tactics with thinly-veiled comments to the press.

The World Cup winner said United should be given the freedom to play more attacking football, especially at home.

 Pogba has again fuelled reports about his apparently frosty relationship with manager Mourinho
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Pogba has again fuelled reports about his apparently frosty relationship with manager Mourinho

But Allardyce insists Mourinho is not at fault for their inconsistency and called for the players, and particularly Pogba, to take more responsibility. 

“It’s nothing to do with Jose how poorly the players played on Saturday," Big Sam said on Monday's Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.

“I just think the attitude of the players is not right.


LISTEN: 'Paul Pogba should stop moaning and get on with it!'


“What I saw of United on Saturday, how many times they gave the ball away and particularly Pogba for Wolves’ goal, it was just not Man United for me and just not the players who seemed to have turned it around but have slipped back into not performing at their top level.

“I saw a lot of players actually not living up to their potential. They let Wolves back into the game, eventually they scored and on occasions I thought Man United were perhaps lucky to get away with a draw.

“If they’re not careful it could be a struggle for them to finish in the top four, and that would be devastating for Man United – they are the biggest worry out of all the top six teams.”

 Sam Allardyce has had his say on Manchester United and Paul Pogba
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Sam Allardyce has had his say on Manchester United and Paul Pogba

Asked for a manager’s take on the Pogba scenario and how he would handle the situation Mourinho finds himself in, Allardyce added: “I think you pull him to the side and have a word with him to begin with.

“You should persevere with a player who is supposedly one of your top players and the captain. You’ve got a few discussions to have behind closed doors, but if that disruption gets far too much then you have to deal with it in the hardest way you possibly can.

“I think, for now, I’d tell him to be quiet with the press,” the former West Ham, Crystal Palace and Everton boss continued.

“I’ll tell him to just get on with his job, because what he’s doing is not quite good enough at the moment and only when it is can you express your opinion a little bit more.

 Paul Pogba has hinted at tensions between him and Jose Mourinho
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Paul Pogba has hinted at tensions between him and Jose Mourinho

“But at the moment they’ve all got to pull together in the same direction. If you don’t, as a manager it’s very difficult to deal with it.

“If little cliques start forming and whispering, you know you’ve got a big problem as a manager.”

Listen back to Sam Allardyce on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast IN FULL above

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