"We were breaking up and making up all the time" - Paul Pogba details relationship with former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has spoken about his relationship with former Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho during their time together at the club. The pair infamously had a tempestuous relationship in their two years together at Old Trafford before Mourinho's sacking.
Mourinho became Manchester United boss in 2016 and quickly signed former academy star Pogba from Juventus, making him the first €100 million player in English football. Their first season together yielded three trophies, with the Frenchman playing a starring role for the club with 51 appearances across all competitions.
Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho soon started having problems in training, with news of their perpetual discord filtering out to the public regularly. The Frenchman spoke with Mail Sport about their relationship, pointing out that he remains full of respect for the legendary manager.
"Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend, we were breaking up and making up all the time. It started great, he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him and he convinced me to come back," Pogba said (via @UtdDistrict on X).
"I don’t know why it turned into a nightmare and us fighting. Because I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t start the fight. We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him."
Pogba outlasted Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, as the Portuguese manager was relieved of his duties in December 2018 and replaced with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The midfielder remained at the club until 2022, when he left the club as a free agent and returned to Juventus.
Paul Pogba has endured a nightmare since leaving Manchester United, with injuries and off-the-field issues limiting him to just 12 appearances since 2022. The 31-year-old is set to return to professional football in March after spending 18 months suspended for a doping ban.
Former Manchester United star Pogba keen to return stronger from ban
Paul Pogba has been doing media rounds as he closes in on his return to professional football following 18 months out. The Frenchman was handed an initial four-year ban for doping in September 2023, but his sentence was reduced earlier this month by the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
The ex-Manchester United midfielder told ESPN that he feels excited about returning to action. He said:
"For sure. It's going to be a new Pogba. That's definitely for sure. And in the positive way, like I said, with more hunger, with more determination."
"I feel like a kid that just want to be professional again, that never signed professional. So this is the anger I have. That's what drives me. And I will do everything to come back at the level I was before and even better. Why not?"
The Frenchman can return to training with Juventus from January 2025, and will be eligible for selection from March. A question mark hangs over the midfielder's future amid reports that he is in the process of terminating his contract with the Bianconeri.