Jose Mourinho gives honest take on Paul Pogba feud and talks Anthony Martial

Posted Thursday, May 16, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Jose Mourinho gives honest take on Paul Pogba feud and talks Anthony Martial
Man Utd news: Jose Mourinho has opened up on Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial (Image: GETTY)

MANCHESTER UNITED star Paul Pogba has been sensationally defended by Jose Mourinho.

Manchester United star Pogba clashed with Mourinho during their time at Old Trafford together, prior to the 56-year-old’s departure back in December.

The World Cup winner was signed by Mourinho from Juventus in the summer of 2016, with the Portuguese confident the midfielder would help the club win the Premier League title.

Their time at Manchester United got off to a winning start with the duo helping the club win the EFL Cup and Europa League titles in 2017.

However, the following year, things went downhill.

Pogba fell out of favour with Mourinho and struggled to win round his manager as their time together fizzled out.

By the end, they were barely on speaking terms.

However, in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe, Mourinho has now shed some light on their relationship.

And he insists United’s shortcomings are not the fault of the 25-year-old, despite reports suggesting he has a negative impact behind closed doors.

“About Manchester United, I want to say only two things,” Mourinho said.

“One is that time has spoken. Two is that the problems are still there.

“Was I a victim of Pogba? No.

“The problems are there, you can imagine that the problems are the players, the organisation, the ambition, I only say that I can not say yes when you ask if Paul was the only one responsible.”

Mourinho also opened up on Anthony Martial, who he also encountered problems with at Old Trafford.

The 56-year-old was keen to offload the France international last summer.

However, the United board intervened to prevent any possible transfer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has found the 23-year-old a difficult star to coax the best from, with some suggesting he even wants him sold too.

And Mourinho has admitted that Martial needs to live up to his potential.

“Martial? He's a boy with a different personality (than Karim Benzema), and the thing I can say is that I hope he's going to reach a dimension that is as good as his real potential,” he added.

United are primed for a busy summer.

Mourinho knew the squad needed an overhaul a year ago and now, after a turbulent campaign, the penny seems to have dropped for the club’s board.