TOXIC UNITED
Simmering resentment, outspoken criticism, feuding on the training ground. Something must give at..
THE atmosphere between Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba is threatening to poison Manchester United’s season. Yesterday’s training-ground row shows they have given up with even the pretence of keeping their bad blood private. They are now going at each other almost at will and players and staff are left to pick a side or look the other way in embarrassment. In Mourinho’s eyes, Pogba is finished at Old Trafford because he has been disloyal in agitating for a move. He wants rid of the midfielder he humiliatingly stripped of the vice-captaincy in front of his team-mates in January. And he will be looking to Ed Woodward and the club hierarchy to back him, having felt they did not support him enough in the previous transfer window. Barcelona wanted Pogba in the summer – even agreeing personal terms – but could struggle to come up with the world-record £200million United would demand for the France World Cup winner.
Juventus are also interested in re-signing their former player.
But, until January at least, Mourinho and Pogba must somehow muddle through as United’s season threatens to disintegrate around them.
They already trail early pacesetters Liverpool by eight points and their title hopes appear over for a sixth season in a row.
Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Derby effectively leaves the FA Cup as the mostrealistic hope of silverware just eight games into the campaign.
Mourinho’s toxic relationship with Pogba is clearly damaging a team spirit which was once the envy of the football world.
A cohesive unit has been replaced by a disjointed collection of individuals. As a consequence, Mourinho is getting the least out of them, and results and performances are suffering.
Their penalty shoot-out loss to the Rams at Old Trafford was merely the latest manifestation of this, and saw more barbed comments from Mourinho about Phil Jones, who missed the vital kick, and Eric Bailly, scheduled to take the next one.
“I knew we would be in trouble with Jones and Eric,” he said.
Skipper Ashley Young’s admission that County’s attitude was better was damning. “I think they had more intensity than we did,” said the defender, candidly.
“In these games you have to show that intensity and go further than the opposition. We didn’t do that and I think we got punished and they won.”
Mourinho made a similar criticism after the Wolves game when he claimed United lacked the hunger of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and it appears some players have switched off to him.
For them, his repeated criticism has become noise which they block out.
Sources claim they have grown tired of him singling out individuals in public, something Sir Alex Ferguson never did, and he has repeatedly hung players out to dry after a bad performance or defeat.
He claimed he would stop doing so after the defeat at Brighton, yet singled out Jones and Bailly following the Carabao Cup exit.
As with his rows with Pogba, it seems Mourinho cannot help himself and he appears locked into another downward spiral of self-destruction.
The danger for United is he could take them down with him.