CAUGHT ON FILM
Pogba and Jose feud goes viral
JOSE MOURINHO’S dispute with Paul Pogba erupted in an incredible row at Manchester United’s training ground yesterday.
Mourinho confronted the £89million star over a video he had posted on social media while watching United’s shock defeat by Derby from an Old Trafford box on Tuesday night.
The manager even urged a member of the club’s media staff to back him up as an angry Pogba hit back, saying: ‘What’s the problem? Why can’t I do nothing?’
The exchange took place in front of TV cameras and followed a meeting on Tuesday in which Mourinho informed the squad Pogba was being stripped of the vice-captaincy.
PAUL POGBA’S toxic feud with Jose Mourinho was laid bare in a tense training-ground exchange caught on camera at Manchester United’s headquarters yesterday.
The two became embroiled in a spat at Carrington after Mourinho criticised Pogba for posting a video of himself laughing while he watched United’s shock Carabao Cup loss to Derby County.
It has fuelled speculation that the relationship between player and manager has completely broken down following Mourinho’s decision to strip Pogba of the vice-captaincy because he wants to leave for Barcelona.
The 55-year-old coach informed the rest of the squad in a team meeting on Tuesday morning, telling Pogba in front of his team-mates: ‘You’re not a captain. You will never be a captain.’
The falling-out is threatening to split the club and undermine United’s entire season, with bookmakers offering odds-on that one of them will leave Old Trafford before the end of the campaign in May.
United chief Ed Woodward arrived at Carrington at 9am yesterday and must now try to broker a peace deal between the club’s two biggest characters.
However, many at United feel the relationship is irreparable and Pogba or Mourinho will have to leave.
‘ The atmosphere is very fractured and strained,’ said one insider last night. ‘ Something has got to give. There is a feeling that it will either be the player or the manager.’
Pogba, who is widely expected to be a transfer target for Barcelona again in January, left Carrington after training in a chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce yesterday and appeared to give waiting photographers a V-sign.
United’s record £89million signing angered Mourinho by posting a video on Instagram during the Derby defeat of himself laughing and joking with Andreas Pereira and Luke Shaw in a private box at Old Trafford.
‘Why are you smiling?’ Pogba asks Shaw during the short clip.
Mourinho thought it was disrespectful to their team-mates who fought back with 10 men to draw 2-2 in injury time before going out of the competition at the first hurdle on penalties.
When Pogba arrived for training yesterday and shook hands with first-team coach Michael Carrick and media relations office John Allen, he was visibly shocked by a comment from the smirking Mourinho. An irritated Pogba then followed Mourinho and had his say before walking off.
The two men proceeded to bicker while hardly looking at one another before Mourinho summoned Allen over, saying: ‘John, when did Paul post on Instagram?’
When Allen came over to join the increasingly fractious conversation, Pogba protested and pointed at Pereira and Shaw as if to ask why they, too, were not being reproached.
‘What’s the problem?’ Pogba is understood to have replied. ‘Why can’t I do nothing? I come here and do nothing. This is my problem.’
The embarrassing episode was captured by Sky Sports, who were invited to Carrington for one of their bi-monthly media opportunities to film training for 15 minutes.
Sky were one of three broadcasters — and five cameras — present on the touchline, alongside Premier League Productions and the club’s in-house station MUTV.
Club insiders were surprised that the invitation was not revoked in the circumstances and believe that Mourinho was grandstanding by giving Pogba a dressing-down when he was fully aware cameras were rolling.
They suspect the manager was making a power play to put Pogba in his place and show him who is in charge, just as he had done 24 hours earlier by belittling him in front of his team-mates.
The United boss was said to be furious after seeing his side dumped out of the cup by Derby, three days after a disappointing draw at home to Wolves.
Pogba had risked further antagonising Mourinho after that game by claiming that United should ‘attack, attack, attack’ at Old Trafford in what was interpreted as a dig at the manager’s tactics.
Mourinho, who was unhappy with the effort of his players against Wolves, warned them in two meetings on Tuesday not to fail him again — yet still saw them beaten by Championship side Derby.
Afterwards, he held an inquest with his coaching staff until 12.30am to pore over the game — longer than anyone can remember him detaining them since taking over in the summer of 2016.
He also apologised to Derby boss Frank Lampard, his old midfield lieutenant from Chelsea, for being unable to invite him for a customary post-match drink because the meeting went on well after midnight.
Pogba had also raised eyebrows by venturing into the dressingroom area on several occasions on Tuesday night wearing a bright white tracksuit and gold-rimmed glasses when other non-playing members of the squad were dressed more conservatively, in accordance with the club’s policy.
There are concerns that he has become a bad influence for younger players at United like Pereira, who has taken to driving into Carrington in a white Bentley.