"Manchester United" strategist Jose Mourinho has distanced himself from rumors circulating in the British media about his conflict with Paul Pogba.
The Frenchman, who arrived for a record-breaking sum of 89 million pounds, was supposed to become the brightest star of the "Red Devils," but recently the coach left him on the bench and replaced him in the last two matches.
It is precisely because of these decisions that rumors of strained relationships between the two have surfaced.
"When you say 'a lot of speculation,' you should say 'a lot of lies,' because both Paul and I agree that he hasn't been playing well in the last few matches. But that's it," Mourinho replied when asked about the conflict.
"It's my problem and the player's problem. It is a huge lie that our relationship is not good, a huge lie that we don't communicate, a huge lie that we don't agree on his positions and his integration into the team dynamics."
"So, be objective and say what everyone knows - in the last couple of meetings he didn't play well. End of story. Now it's my and Paul's problem, which we need to solve and improve his performance level."
It has also been often reported in the press that the disagreements arise precisely because of the position that Pogba has to play in.
"I would like you to tell me in which position Pogba played against 'Newcastle,'" Mourinho added.
"Anyone want to tell me? Okay, in the middle, but did we play with one six and two eights, or with two eights and one ten?"
"We played with one six and two eights. We played with Matic as the six, Lingard on the right of Matic, and Pogba on the left."
"Do you know what Pogba's favorite system is? 4-3-3. Do you know that Pogba's favorite system is 4-3-3? The eight on the left - so, it is easy, fair, and objective to say that Paul didn't play well against 'Newcastle,' but don't let people read what is untrue."
"You get paid to analyze and explain the game. Don't talk nonsense."
Mourinho's players lost to "Newcastle United" with a score of 1-0 and now lag behind the third-placed "Liverpool" by just two points.
