'Paul came back different' - Jose Mourinho gives strong opinion on Pogba's four-year doping ban as he pinpoints moment ex-Man Utd star stopped seeing football as 'most important thing'

Portuguese tactician Mourinho returned French midfielder Pogba to Manchester United in the summer of 2016, with the world transfer record broken as an £89 million ($110m) deal with Juventus was put in place. Two big characters were always likely to butt heads at some point, and so it proved.

Pogba struggled for consistency throughout his time at Old Trafford and retraced steps to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. He has endured a tough time back in Italy, with injury problems initially holding him back. The 2018 World Cup winner is now serving a ban for failing a drugs test in September 2023.

Mourinho has told The Telegraph of that unfortunate situation: “The only thing I say is that it happens with almost everybody in some moments of your career: you lose a little bit the sense of who you are and what you have to be. The season after France won the World Cup, I think Paul came back different. The World Cup brought him into a dimension where football was not the most important thing for him. Sharing the philosophy of everyone; everyone with the same level of responsibilities. I am not enjoying Paul’s situation at all.”

Mourinho had hoped that tough love would bring the best out of Pogba, as he became aware of the need to commit fully to his professional endeavours, but the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss says he lacked the required support of those above him. He added on trying to deal with Pogba: “When you are supported by the power, by the hierarchy, the message that passes through is very positive in the group. When you are not supported … because the player is more important or what the player represents is more important – then you are in a fragile situation. Even if you are a coach with so much experience as was my case.”

United parted company with Mourinho in December 2018. He had landed Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League honours in his debut campaign, with the Red Devils remaining in a constant state of flux since his departure.