Paul Pogba vs Jose Mourinho: Inside feud that saw trust lost and defined Man Utd career

Paul Pogba: He plays well for France. That is seemingly the crux of any argument defending the now former Manchester United man.

At Old Trafford, £89million has well and truly left the building and the club will be wondering, from a football perspective at least, what they got out of the deal other than a lot of hassle. Signed from Juventus in 2016, shortly after guiding France to the final of Euro 2016, Pogba was Jose Mourinho's marquee signing in his first summer.

But alarm bells were quickly rung following an ill-disciplined display in the Manchester derby defeat that September. However, the capture of three trophies largely covered up any cracks at Old Trafford, even as the team finished outside the top four. It was in Mourinho's second - and last full - season that more firm issues would appear.

Largely the questions being asked surrounded Pogba's best position. Could he be the fulcrum of a working midfield? Should he play deep and dictate? Did he need freedom to attack the final third? Six years on and no one, be it Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick or the millions of United fans across the globe, ever did find a definitive answer.

Pogba was able to thrive from a young age at Juventus, whether under the hardline Antonio Conte or the somewhat softer, more player friendly Max Allegri. In a midfield featuring experienced heads like Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, where his role was more defined, the Frenchman would become one of the most sought after players on the planet in Turin.

But whilst the environment for Pogba was perfect at Juventus, it seemed to be anything but in Manchester. Mourinho though defended himself and the club in 2018, insisting the question of Pogba maximising