Paul Pogba Man Utd 2018-19Getty Images

'I always give my best for the people that trust me!' - Is there a rift between Pogba & Mourinho?

Is there a rift between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho?

The midfielder, who won the World Cup with France in the summer, was a surprise starter against Leicester City in Manchester United's Premier League opener, opening the scoring for his side in a 2-1 win.

Rumours of a move to Barcelona and Juventus have surfaced in recent weeks, however, and Goal understands the Red Devils are unwilling to let the 25-year-old leave this summer .

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There have also been persistent murmurings of a broken relationship with Mourinho, with Pogba having failed to hit top form in a 2017-18 season that saw United finish 19 points behind Manchester City in the table.

Indeed, Pogba stepped up and played a starring role to help France win the World Cup, scoring in the final victory over Croatia.

And he demonstrated just how important he is to United on Friday night, scoring from the spot to put Mourinho's men in front early on and generally controlling play in the middle of the park throughout .

Praising his "monster" performance after the game having handed the armband to Pogba, Mourinho told reporters: "[It] was not hard [to pick Pogba from the start]. 

"The decision belonged to him, because Andreas Pereira comes from Valencia bench as a winger to play number six; Fred had 10 days training, Ukrainian league, comes direct to Old Trafford; Ander Herrera injured.

"I had only two options: Scott [McTominay] or Paul, but if I play Scott I play two kids and a new player, so I asked Paul and he put himself available for the team and he was very, very good for us."

Pogba, though, posted a cryptic message on Instagram after the match, with his reference to "no matter what's going on" suggesting that something may not be quite right regarding his situation at the club.

He wrote: "I’ll always give my best to the fans and my teammates no matter what’s going on."

The Frenchman also declined to mention Mourinho when speaking to reporters after the game, insisting that he gives his all in every match for the fans, his team-mates and those that trust him.

He said: "Of course it makes me proud, it makes me happy to wear this [armband] at a big club like Manchester United.

"Like I always say, I always give my best for the fans, for my team-mates, for the people that trust me."

So, could the reports of a rift between Pogba and Mourinho be true or are the midfielder's comments being blown out of proportion?

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