Manchester United players sent Paul Pogba WhatsApp voice notes of Jose Mourinho hanging the Frenchman out to dry in a brutal betrayal at the club's Carrington training base back in 2018, it has been claimed.
Pogba returned for a second spell at United in a club-record £89million deal that was signed off by Mourinho back in the summer of 2016, but the midfielder has struggled to live up to expectations at Old Trafford
After months of speculation, Manchester United confirmed on Wednesday that the mega-money flop was set to leave the club for nothing again this summer - over a decade after he first walked out on United as a youngster.
After Pogba's official exit was confirmed by both the player and Manchester United, a new report from The Athletic has claimed some inside details on one of the many major issues that plagued Pogba during his massively underwhelming second spell in the Premier League.
The incident in question related to his apparent fallout with Mourinho back in Autumn 2018, when the ex- Chelsea and Real Madrid chief decided that the midfielder - who was United's 'second captain' - would no longer be considered as a deputy for club captain Antonio Valencia.
After ordering Pogba - who was injured - to stay away from Carrington, Mourinho is claimed to have 'strategically positioned' the midfielder as someone who wanted to quit the club. Referring to Pogba, Mourinho is said to have told the United squad: “Remember who I am. Ask the Chelsea boys — Nemanja [Matic], Juan [Mata] — they know the real me. Players cannot be captain when they want to leave.”
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But unbeknown to Mourinho, the 29-year-old was kept in the loop by some of his United team-mates, who shared details of the betrayal on WhatsApp. Pogba was later officially informed that he would no longer be considered for the United captaincy in a team meeting with his team-mates.
The bust-up between the pair bubbled away until Mourinho was eventually given the boot by United in December 2018, but Pogba's fortunes didn't improve much under the Portuguese's successor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although he did appear to enjoy a better relationship with the Norwegian.
Speculation over Pogba's future has been rampant in recent months, with a host of top European clubs courting the midfielder as his contract ran down. Juventus - Pogba's former club - are the favourites to re-sign the midfielder, who penned a farewell message to United fan's on his Instagram account.
Pogba wrote on Instagram: "I feel privileged to have played for this club. Many beautiful moments and memories but most importantly an unconditional support from the fans. Thank you Manchester United."
