Manchester United's internal tensions blown open again as Paul Pogba reveals he'd be fined for speaking the truth
After a man-of-the-match display in Manchester United’s opening Premier League match, one which earned a standing ovation from all four corners of Old Trafford, Paul Pogba fuelled speculation about his future and said he feared being fined if he truly revealed how he feels about the club's rollercoaster summer.
Pogba re-joined Manchester United from Juventus two years ago but his second stint at Old Trafford has turned sour, with boss Jose Mourinho repeatedly singling out the midfielder for criticism on their pre-season tour of America. With Barcelona keen on signing the World Cup winner, tensions only grew.
The French midfielder scored a penalty and captained United to a 2-1 win on Friday night in a performance that could have swept aside all ill feeling, but Pogba hinted after the game that he was not completely happy at the club and that he'd be sanctioned if he spoke the truth about tensions between the club's manager and its most expensive-ever player.
"What do you mean the real Paul Pogba?” he said after being asked about his return to form. “You have to know one thing: a player that gets chosen and is happy, you always feel more comfortable than when he’s not happy. That’s all I say.
“If you’re not happy, you cannot give your best. There are things that I cannot say otherwise I will get fined,” he added before heading to the changing room after talking to reporters.
Pogba’s relationship with Jose Mourinho has often been a testing one. Last season the manager publically declared that “Paul’s game was complicated…always one more touch, always one more turn,” however, Mourinho handed Pogba the captaincy for the Leicester match, something the midfielder said repays his “love” for the club.
“I always love the club,” Pogba said. “I came in the academy, I played for the first team. For me, it was a dream come true.
“And wearing this, it’s even more because of the past, because of the players that played here, the people that have been wearing this.
“It’s not having just the armband,” he said of his view on leadership. “I have always been talking to the team-mates.
“Having the armband, it's not like 'oh, I will show that I am a real captain and have to do extra work'. No, I just have to be myself and do what I know, do what I can do and do what I know to do."
On the match itself, Pogba was delighted to lead the side to victory and suggested that United’s target is to match Manchester City and challenge for their first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
"Of course the performance wasn't the best, but it's better to start like this and finish well than start very well and finish bad.
"We're Manchester United, we have to look at the top of the league. We have to show on the pitch, we have to play well, we have to be focused and we need people to trust us."
Mourinho, who may face a battle to keep Pogba from European clubs who have until August 31 to complete transfers, praised the 25-year-old’s “monster” performance. “Paul was fantastic, his contribution was amazing,” he said. “We thought maximum 60 minutes but he managed [more than] 80. [Picking him] was not hard, the decision belonged to me.”
