Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele says he spoke to Manchester United star Paul Pogba about his experience with Jose Mourinho when the coach arrived at the London side.
Mourinho took charge of Tottenham in November 2019, almost a year after his spell at United came to an end with his sacking.
Pogba and Mourinho were reported to have had a difficult relationship during the Portuguese's time at Old Trafford.
His bond with Ndombele did not get off to a great start either, as the coach singled out the former Lyon player for criticism after substituting him at half-time against Burnley in March last year.
What has been said?
Ndombele sought guidance from his fellow France international, but says their situations were much different.
"We spoke, we spoke about that but really quickly. It wasn't like he gave me any advice because our situations were completely different," Ndombele told Football.London.
"It's true he worked with Mourinho but my own experiences weren't the same and each relationship has its own characteristics."
Ndombele wanted an early exit
Ndombele became Spurs' record signing when he made the switch to the English capital in a deal worth €60 million (£54m/$68m) in 2019.
The 24-year-old has become a key player for Mourinho's side, but his difficult start to life in England had him wishing he had never made the move in the first place.
"It was incredibly tough. I remember that I was even calling home to my friends in France saying I want to come back," he said.
"It was so, so tough, but perhaps it was what I needed. I needed to get used to that sort of work, to that sort of training and over time to acclimatise to it."
However, he was determined not to go down as a failure at Spurs and feels he has become stronger since then.
He added: "That's something that motivates me all the time to improve, but you've got to remember that at the time I really didn't feel good so perhaps, sure, after the event I look back and think I wouldn't have wanted to leave and want to prove myself here, but at the time if you're not feeling good, those sort of thoughts are quite far away from your mind.
"Without a doubt it's made me stronger mentally. It's made me and improved me as an athlete, what happened last season, because I wasn't playing a lot. I was getting injured a lot, which I'm not used to and we were going through the pandemic and times like this you can only grow stronger."
Ndombele has scored six goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for Spurs this season.
He has missed just two matches in the Premier League so far in 2020-21.
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