REDS MAKE £15M PASS AT PASCAL
Mourinho tells Pog to prove he can get back to his best
him, after two-and-a-half years in charge.
“I had nothing to do with the statement,” said Mourinho. “It wasn’t my statement. I didn’t know at all and I don’t care about it.
“Sometimes there is a perception, all over the world, that the fans care more about the club than the professionals and that is totally wrong, it is totally wrong.
“Nobody in Manchester United or connected with Manchester United cares more about the club than myself.
“Three years ago, I was not in Manchester and was far from being connected with Manchester United.
“But we, the professionals, are the ones that feel everything, every day, every second.” 1 Live on BT Sport 3 from 7.15pm Juventus
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5 1 JOSE MOURINHO has called on Paul Pogba to prove he can be trusted to produce his best for Manchester United.
Pogba, United’s £89million record signing, has been benched for their last two games but will start tonight’s Champions League tie – effectively a dead rubber – against Valencia.
But Mourinho does not trust Pogba to deliver in the big games, which is why the France World Cup winner is set to return to join the other substitutes for Sunday’s visit to new Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Mourinho refused to offer an explanation as to why he has been unable to get the best out of Pogba this season, the inference being the United boss believes the fault lies entirely with the man in the No.6 shirt.
Asked what he was looking for from Pogba here in Spain, Mourinho said: “I’m looking for him to play well and have a good impact in the game and a good impact in the team, a team with some players that are not playing a lot.
“So I hope people like Paul and a couple of others that are not normally in the team can have a good impact.”
But when Mourinho was asked directly why he had not been able to get the best out of Pogba this term, he took umbrage at the suggestion he was in some way culpable for the player’s poor form.
“I don’t think your question goes in the direction of what I want to answer or listen,” said the Portuguese. “I don’t like your question. You can put the question from another direction, but I don’t like the direction.”
Mourinho, who has clashed with Pogba several times this season, certainly feels the midfielder lacks the tactical discipline and work ethic to be relied upon in the big games, despite his undoubted talent.
That is why Mourinho has taken the bold step of dropping the 25-year-old, although team-mate Juan Mata backed Pogba to rediscover his best form and reclaim his status as an automatic pick.
Mata said: “We all have better and worse moments in our careers and in a season. As a team-mate, hopefully I can do something from my side to support him and he will keep showing how good a player he is.
“Paul is looking forward to playing and giving his best for the team, and trying to perform at his best, because we all know that when he does that he’s a fantastic midfielder.”
United have qualified for the last 16 and will need to beat Valencia, while Juventus drop points away to Young Boys, to go through as group winners.
“Football is football and anything can happen,” said Mourinho.
“But normally, Juventus should win the match against Young Boys in Switzerland, so I don’t think this match will have an impact on finishing first or second.” BRIGHTON assist king Pascal Gross has emerged as a shock target for Liverpool.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is considering a £15million move for the 27-year-old German in January. Gross (below) was Brighton’s player of the year last season after scoring seven goals and making eight more following a bargain £3m move from Ingolstadt.
Klopp believes freekick specialist Gross would be a cheaper alternative to Lyon ace Nabil Fekir. The Anfield chief spoke of his admiration for Gross, who he watched when he was managing Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, last year. He said: “He has a nice right foot and is good at set-pieces. He is a smart player and I like him.”
I don’t think your question goes in the direction of what I want...