Manchester United suffered their second defeat in the space of a week this weekend
United’s failure to bounce back from their midweek exit from the Carabao Cup in the league this weekend has seen them entire crisis mode, with manager José Mourinho on the brink of being sacked just seven matches into the season.
At the centre of United’s problems is the ongoing feud between Mourinho and star player Paul Pogba, who rejoined United in 2016 for a then world record fee of £89m.
Pogba has been heavily criticised for failing to live up to expectations, though some would argue that his underwhelming performances have been a symptom of a dysfunctional squad lacking in direction from the manager. Pogba starred as France won the World Cup this summer, without having to play on the left of a midfield three, as is always stated as his preferred position.
France manager Didier Deschamps has come out in defence of Pogba, claiming he cannot win matches all by himself.
“For Paul it depends not only on him but also the team he is in, the collective way of playing. It is not a case of one player who makes the team win,” Deschamps told The Observer.
Deschamps also felt it necessary to set the record straight over Pogba and the reputation that proceeds him.
“First of all there is an image of Paul that doesn’t correspond to who he is. Maybe it is because he is a bit eccentric, a bit demonstrative. He has been with me since 2013 – that is five years now – and the way he functions is not about him for himself, it is him as part of the group. That is really important,” Deschamps said.
“His image in the media makes everything quite complicated. The amount of the transfer to Manchester United is ridiculous … it wasn’t easy to manage.
“During this World Cup he managed to get a normal image back. The fact he talks, it liberates him a bit, but the most important thing is that Paul came to this World Cup with a very precise idea: he wanted to prepare himself to be world champion. That is what he had in his mind.”
He was also full of praise for Pogba’s leadership after he took it upon himself to speak at key moments during France’s World Cup campaign.
“He has taken many things upon himself. He has been a leader,” Deschamps said. “Each time he had to talk and express himself it was always very positive. It’s the words he uses and the atmosphere and feeling that comes across. He is not the only one but he is one of the leaders who took it upon himself because the group needed it. On the pitch he did what needed to be done as well.”
