Jose rivalry can Spur Pog on for United
PAUL Pogba has almost as many followers on his social media accounts as the population of France, but the true gauge of a player’s popularity is within the four stands of a stadium.
On the opening weekend of this surreal season United supporters serenaded a sacked manager but not their most expensive player.
Pogba is yet to enter the players section of the United hymnbook, where Ralph Milne, Tim Howard, Rodrigo Possebon, and Gabriel Obertan are listed.
Jose Mourinho was sitting in the
Sky Sports studio on his first visit back to Old Trafford and basked in the August adoration, raising a hand of gratitude and blowing kisses to the Stretford Enders.
There was a moment in that 4-0 annihilation of Chelsea where the chants of ‘Jose Mourinho’ carried onto the pitch and piqued Pogba into charging into the final third, where he laid on a debut goal for Daniel James. That reaction showed the fraught rivalry between marquee manager and player as much as their infamous training ground discussion.
Pogba is poised to make his first competitive appearance for United in 176 days against a Mourinho side tomorrow. It is a subplot that has flown under the radar. The three-month fixture vacuum poses more relevant questions for Mourinho than renewing a rivalry with a midfielder he once envisaged would captain his United.
Mourinho shook the hand of almost every United player on the pitch after Tottenham were beaten at Old Trafford in December.
Ashley Young, by virtue of his positioning at right-back, was the only one not to press the flesh after the most significant win of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season. United supporters did not chant Mourinho’s name that night.
Pogba was nursing his ankle and not visible in the stands. Should he stride off the Spurs pitch tomorrow night then eyes will be peeled for any remote glance or acknowledgement between him and Mourinho in a sterile atmosphere devoid of partisan supporters. Handshakes are no longer advisable, though.
There is a mutual, if grudging, respect between the two - albeit expressed after their working relationship ended.
Mourinho sensed Pogba would cause him more strife after months of rancour in the aftermath of France’s World Cup triumph. The then Reds boss attempted to reassert his authority with reasonable analysis of the midfielder’s tournament from afar during United’s pre-season tour of the United States, though stressed Pogba was ‘absolutely brilliant’ and named him captain for the season opener against Leicester.
In the 18 months that have elapsed since Mourinho was summoned to Carrington that December Tuesday morning there has been a growing acceptance inside United and among the wider fanbase that their former manager’s outlook on Pogba was right.
High-level club sources did not dispute the suggestion in October Pogba had ‘disrespected’ the club by declaring it ‘could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere
else’ last June. United have described dealing with Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, as ‘a game.’
The player’s popularity has not diminished in the eyes of his teammates or a manager who at times sounds in thrall to a player he gave his reserve team debut to in 2009. A benefit of the COVID-19 break for Solskjaer is it suspended talk of Pogba leaving.
United’s media team have failed to arrange for Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to pose together, either at Carrington or Old Trafford, in anticipation of them strolling out of a stadium tunnel this month.
Cameras at least captured early glimpses of their telepathy in the friendly with West Brom last week, but the only desktop wallpaper available to Pogbaholics is a grainy snapshot of him stretching his limbs next to a horizontal Fernandes.
Prior to the reverse fixture six months ago, Tottenham were convinced Solskjaer would revert to a back three, only United retained their 4-2-3-1, it threw the visitors and Mourinho suffered his first loss with Spurs.
Solskjaer has deployed a defensive trident in five of United’s 11-match unbeaten run and, whatever shape he chooses tomorrow, any one would easily accommodate Pogba and Fernandes.
Pogba has not performed at his optimum for United since he swamped N’Golo Kante in the FA Cup fifth round last year, gallantly scoring his last goal from open play in front of an envious Matthew Harding Stand.
Pogba was a winner in the defeat to Watford in a half-hour cameo three days before Christmas and, with competition intense in an imposing midfield, he could be eased back again.
Solskjaer did suggest Pogba would have made himself available had the trip to Tottenham gone ahead on March 15. Mourinho is still a motivator for Pogba.