Pogba, Mourinho rift

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SEVILLE: Paul Pogba was sent on after just 17 minutes of Man United’s Champions League last 16, first leg against Sevilla on Wednesday having been left out of the starting line-up by manager Jose Mourinho.

The French midfielder, back in the squad after illness kept him out of United’s weekend FA Cup win at Huddersfield Town, replaced Ander Herrera, who was forced off injured.

Pogba has come in for criticism from Mourinho for his recent performances, with the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in the January transfer window raising doubts as to whether the two can play together in the same team. And Pogba did not manage to answer his many recent critics, who have questioned his influence over the last two months. He was unable to engineer many attacks and sent a long, hopeful shot well wide of goal in the second half.

Asked about his selection decision, Mourinho said: “I don’t say so much tactically. We are playing with three midfield players and Paul could play perfectly in this role.

“But Paul created some doubts by not playing on Saturday, by not playing by his own decision — he was not feeling good, and created some doubts.”

Mourinho opted to select Scott Mctominay, 21, alongside Herrera and Nemanja Matic in his starting line-up in midfield for the game in Spain.

Mourinho described Scott Mctominay as “fantastic”. He later complained that there had been too much focus on Pogba before and after the match, and not enough on a player making his second start.

“In my pre-match interview I had four questions and three were about Paul, and Paul was not even playing. That’s a bit strange,” he said.

“If I was one of you (journalists), I would ask if the Manchester United manager agrees that Scott Mctominay had a fantastic performance, and my answer would be that yes, he had a fantastic performance.

“He looked a senior player, a player with great maturity.