Pogba thanks axed manager Mourinho for making him a better player and person
PAUL POGBA came out in support of sacked Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho last night, just after the players gave interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a flying start.
United looked a liberated team in the Cardiff win, Solskjaer’s first game after just two days of training, with goals from Jesse Lingard (2), Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial.
Pogba’s relationship with Mourinho had seemed to undermine United’s miserable campaign this season, but the Frenchman said: ‘I know you want to ask: ‘‘Oh yeah but with Jose …’’ With Jose, we won trophies.
‘We worked. I want to thank him for that. Not everything went well but things went well.
‘He made me improve. As a person as well. That’s it. That’s the past. ‘I want to thank him for that. I’m sure all the players do. Now we’re looking at the next game, for the points we need. ‘We want to go back to the top of the League. We cannot play like this with five goals and in the next game lose. That’s it.’
United scored five for the first time since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, and Solskjaer said: ‘Football is easy if you’ve got good players.
‘Wayne Rooney texted me and gave me some advice, so it must be down to him!
‘He told me to make them play football, enjoy themselves and be Manchester United.
‘They are a great bunch of players and their quality is unbelievable.’
Indeed, in his capacity as a pundit for BT Sport during yesterday’s game, Rooney said it was the right decision for United to sack Mourinho.
‘Something had to change. It was the right decision (to sack Jose),’ said Rooney.
‘I stay in touch with a lot of people at the club.
‘I speak to them quite a lot. To be a successful club you need to have everything right.
‘That relationship between some of the staff and players wasn’t great.
‘Bringing Ole and Mick (Phelan) in, that will change things.
‘The staff are smiling and happy and that rubs off on the players.
‘I think it’s a good move for the club and gives them more time to get the right man in the summer.
‘Some of the players need to step up.’