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Man Utd news: Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea dressing room tactic has BACKFIRED - pundit
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho may have seen a dressing room tactic backfire with star midfielder Paul Pogba.
That is according to Sky Sports pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell.
Pogba’s future at Manchester United is in doubt after months of speculation over a feud with manager Mourinho.
The France star, who is currently on international duty, turned down the chance to publicly say he was happy at Old Trafford in an interview earlier this week.
“My future is currently in Manchester,” Pogba said.
I remember Jose sort of challenging players in the dressing room, challenging Drogba and JT and see how they react
"I still have a contract, I am playing there at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months.”
Sidwell played under Mourinho at Chelsea for a brief spell in 2007 so knows the way the Portuguese works.
He says Mourinho likes to have a bond with his players but was also not afraid to challenge senior players, such as Didier Drogba and John Terry in the Chelsea dressing room.
And Sidwell reckons Pogba may not have reacted well to being challenged by Mourinho.
“Just an insight when I was at Chelsea with Jose and working with him and seeing how he was with players then, he wanted that bond,” Sidwell said of Jose Mourinho.
“He wanted that trust first and foremost from the players and he wanted to have that bond.
“He wanted to know how their private lives were going, how their kids were, wanted to have his arm round them at times of need.
“It just seems that has completely gone from him and Pogba.
“It doesn’t seem that it’s going to get to the level that he had with other players.
“Look at the likes of him and (Marco) Materazzi at Inter Milan when he was crying after the game.
“But then again I remember Jose sort of challenging players in the dressing room, challenging Drogba and JT (Terry) and see how they react.
“So has he done that with Pogba and it’s backfired a little bit and it’s not going the way he wants again?”