PAUL POGBA HAS been told by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho he will never captain the club again while the Portuguese remains in charge, according to reports on Tuesday, as tensions between United’s star midfielder and manager continue to rise.
Pogba has deputised as skipper in the absence of club captain Antonio Valencia on three occasions this season against Leicester and Brighton in the Premier League and a Champions League trip to Young Boys.
However, the French World Cup winner’s latest outspoken comments criticising United’s overly negative tactics after a 1-1 draw at home to newly-promoted Wolves on Saturday have provoked a reaction from Mourinho.
According to The Times, Mourinho informed Pogba in front of his team-mates on Tuesday, claiming the 25-year-old “doesn’t represent what a captain is and Manchester United is bigger than anyone”.
Pogba was not named in the squad for Tuesday’s League Cup clash with Derby, but Mourinho confirmed he had been rested along with a number of other first-team regulars including David de Gea rather than dropped.
The decision is the latest twist in an acrimonious relationship between the pair dating back to Mourinho dropping Pogba routinely for big games last season.
“Mourinho’s message to the United squad, delivered at Carrington today, was designed to underline his authority and remind the players that he is in charge,” added The Times report.
Fresh from playing a pivotal role in France’s World Cup success, Pogba, who cost United a then world record £89 million to bring back to the club from Juventus in 2016, has started to deliver on his price tag this season.
He has scored four times in seven appearances and also set up Fred’s opener against Wolves at the weekend.
However, he was also at fault when losing possession for Wolves’ equaliser that left United already eight points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool after six games.
“We are at home and we should play much better against Wolves. We are here to attack,” Pogba told the media after the match.
“I think teams are scared when they see Manchester United attacking and attacking. That was our mistake.”
Pogba has already been linked with a move away from Old Trafford with Barcelona interested before the close of the summer transfer window.
That speculation is unlikely to die down as long as Mourinho, who signed a extended contract until 2020 earlier this year, remains in charge.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
The really ridiculous thing is the divisional finals. Having won all their divisional games, Limerick then had to go and play 2nd place Dublin. If you’re top of the league, you win. Its not as if its a humongous money spinning game for the GAA.
There should be 8 teams in Division 1. As a Dub i’m delighted with the win on Saturday night but it could have gone either way. Limerick don’t deserve to be playing in 1B. They should be playing in the Top Division with teams of the same calibre as them.
Limerick should be in the top flight no doubts.
Losing one playoff shouldn’t doom a good team to another year playing teams they’re clearly superior to.
Helps nobody
Of course leagues are ‘elitist’ – but that’s why there are leagues in the first place. Allen would be on the other side of the fence if Limerick were made to play a few meaningless games against Longford or Warwickshire in a pre-Championship tournament.
On a broader point, it seems this year like every division below 1A has one or two teams that are evidently on a higher plane than everyone else – Dublin and Limerick in 1B, Laois and Westmeath in 2A, Meath and London in 2B, Fingal in 3A and Longford in 3B (perhaps less so in the 3A and 3B divisions).
It seems like the bands of teams would be much fairer if the league was restructured into five tiers, with eight teams in Division 1 and the rest of the country (36 teams, if you brought Cavan back in) split into four divisions of seven teams each. The likes of Laois and Westmeath – Liam MacCarthy teams, basically – get back with their own kind in Division 2; Meath or London get into the third tier where they’re given a decent challenge to rise up a few notches, and Fingal or Donegal are taken out of a division where they’re consistently beating the likes of Fermanagh and Tyrone.
To be honest it seems like there are only two issues with the idea: firstly, that it would mean a few extra Sundays taken out of the county club championships (which shouldn’t be too much of a problem considering every county previously took part in an eight-county division until fairly recently), and secondly, that you’d have the seven lowest teams given the dubious honour of playing in ‘Division 5′. Realistically this is just a branding thing: I don’t see the difference between putting a team in Division 5 and putting them in Division 3B (why isn’t it called Division 6? it’s not as if Divisions 1, 2 and 3 carry any equality to the four tiers of Championship hurling anyway). A rose by another other name…
The GAA needs a complete overhaul. I know traditionalists wont like the idea, but I would love to get rid of pre league tournaments like the McGrath cup. Run off provincial championships in March&April. Then roll league and championship into one champions league style tournament 16 teams in hurling – 4 groups of 4 and top 2 from each into quarter finals. 32 teams in football (4 groups of 8 teams) top 2 from each into quarters. This would also help create a proper calendar for club fixtures.
It should be an 8 team division one, the current 6 plus Dublin and limerick! you need to have promotion and relegation
I don’t get how an eight team division one solves the problem of an elite six team division 1a. If anything it makes the situation worse. Think about it, Limerick played four of six games against Dublin(twice), Wexford and Offaly. Cork or Clare will replace Dublin next year. It’s a bit much for Limerick to believe they’re too good for that type of opposition.
With an eight team division one, the likes of Wexford will play six of seven games against Carlow, Antrim, Laois, Kerry, Westmeath and Down in division two. Being in a six team division 1b in spring is a reasonable preparation for the championship, and even offers a route to winning the league. Finding yourself in an eight team division two would be a far bigger setback.
Billy, Limerick and Dublin are better teams than wexford and offaly. they are on the same level as cork, clare and waterford and this was clear in lasts years championship. Being denied promotion two years ago was insulting. They top the league yet are still in the same division . The young players coming through need to be playing the stronger sides to develop and to make the championship stronger.
10 team in Div 1 Of hurling league .. Would include current 6 plus Dublin, Limerick, Offaly and Wexford
The format for the championship is no better. There’s more chopping and changing than their is in a match itself.
A league is a league – you win the league – end of story .