MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER Jose Mourinho gave short shrift to a question on Tuesday about how he can get the best out of Paul Pogba.
Pogba is set to start Wednesday’s Champions League match against Valencia, having missed out on a place in the starting XI for Premier League games against Arsenal and Fulham after being taken off in the 2-2 draw with Southampton.
Mourinho was asked what he needs to do to coax consistently good performances out of the World Cup winner, but he was not happy with the line of questioning.
“I don’t think your question goes in the direction of what I want to answer or listen,” he told a news conference. ”I don’t like your question. You can put the question from another direction. I don’t like the direction.”
When asked what he hopes for from Pogba at Mestalla, Mourinho replied: ”I’m looking for him to play well and to have a good impact in the game and a good impact in the team, a team with many players that don’t have many miles in their legs.
“I hope that people like Paul and a couple of others that are normally in the team, and have the miles that players need to be at a good level, can have a good impact in the team.”
Pressure on Mourinho was eased somewhat with Saturday’s 4-1 win over Fulham at the end of a week in which his agent, Jorge Mendes, issued a statement insisting the club is “very happy” with his client.
Mourinho, though, claimed it was nothing to do with him, saying: ”I’ve nothing to do with the statement. It’s not my statement. I didn’t know [it was coming] and I don’t care about it.”
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I think it’s a great move. Ryan will bring a lot of positive PR with him and the Cork public in general have great time for him – the footballers in the county need this PR lift.
Also, maybe when they are being beaten by a team next year and they look to the sideline to see Eamon Ryan there, it might give them a bit more of a lift. Bottom line is he is an achiever and will be a huge addition to the Cork football dressing-room. Overall, a very strong backroom team in place now – it’s up to the players now to deliver.
With all respect to Ryan, I think this is a strange move. I’m not sure is it the progressive move Cork needed.
I don’t know our lads have been playing like a bunch of women for the last few years now so he’ll fit perfectly.
People being negative think Eamonn Ryan never coached before he took over Cork’s ladies team!