End of Pogbajose partnership?

Manchester United manager’s decision to strip star midfielder of vicecaptaincy further worsens their relationship

LONDON: Paul Pogba’s relationship with Jose Mourinho appears to be fractured beyond repair after the Manchester United boss said the French World Cup star would never captain the side again. Pogba, who returned to Manchester in 2016 for a then world-record fee of £89 million struggled towards the end of last season, left out of the starting line-up or substituted on a number of occasions.

Fresh from playing a pivotal role in France’s World Cup success, the midfielder has started to deliver on his price tag this season -- scoring four times so far and deputising as captain in the absence of Antonio Valencia.

But Mourinho appears to have lost his patience with his highprofile star after Pogba urged United to attack more following a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, implicitly criticising the cautious approach of his boss at a club famed for gung-ho football. According to The Times, Mourinho informed Pogba of his decision on the captaincy in front of his teammates on Tuesday, claiming the 25-year-old “doesn’t represent what a captain is and Manchester United is bigger than anyone”.

“The only truth is I made the decision of Paul not to be the second captain anymore,” said Mourinho after Tuesday’s shock League Cup defeat against Derby County on penalties, for which Pogba was rested.

The Portuguese said there would be “no fall-out at all, no problem at all”.

But it does not look that way to fans of United, watching on helplessly as their side falls further behind great rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League.

It looks increasingly likely that Mourinho will be unable to repair his relationship with Pogba, and it seems to be more a question of who will be first to leave the club. The former United youth player may eventually get the move to Barcelona that was mooted in August, with the Daily Mail on Wednesday reporting he has already told Mourinho he wants to leave for Spain.