Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho appeared to have a frosty exchange on Wednesday
Thursday 27 September 2018 10:06, UK
Jamie Carragher gives his strong verdict on the current Paul Pogba-Jose Mourinho situation, saying Pogba is not as good as he thinks he is, and admitting he doesn't know whether he is worth the hassle.
Mourinho and Pogba had a frosty exchange, which appeared to be about the midfielder's Instagram, on Wednesday as he returned to training after being stripped of the Manchester United vice-captaincy.
The United manager denied reports of a bust-up between the pair, but Wednesday morning's interaction - captured by Sky Sports' cameras - suggested otherwise.
And Speaking on Sky Sports Football ahead of Liverpool v Chelsea, Carragher gave his honest opinion on the situation...
There's a power-play here going on, and I think Jose Mourinho is well aware there's cameras there.
If you're asking me, because it looks like Mourinho or Pogba, it's Jose Mourinho. They've both been there the same amount of time. I think Jose Mourinho has done more than Pogba in that time.
Another question is, should he be getting more out of a £90m player? In terms of Paul Pogba, I don't know if he's worth the hassle for what he gives on the pitch.
There's an idea that there's one or the other. So if Mourinho goes, you'll see a new Paul Pogba. You won't, I can assure Man Utd fans, you won't.
Nobody plays for two years and all of a sudden there's a change of manager and you're a new player. We've see what Paul Pogba is as a player.
He's not as good as he thinks he is. He's got talent, but his big problem is his understanding of the game. It's been a problem since he came, and it hasn't changed now.
You can sum Paul Pogba's Man Utd career up in the last two games. He scored a great goal against Young Boys, showing his quality, but then gets robbed of the ball on the halfway line, falls over, doesn't break his neck to get back against Wolves and there's an equalising goal. That sums him up.
There's talk of him moving on, leaving Man Utd. There's other clubs in the world who haven't got Paul Pogba who have been very successful. Barcelona being one.
I do think there is talent there, but talk of Barcelona? I can't think of a more ill-fitting player for Barcelona. Barcelona are all about discipline, staying in position, playing for the team. That is totally against everything Pogba plays for. Pogba plays for himself, does his own thing.
People are saying Mourinho is causing problems, taking the captaincy off him, but he's not really a captain, is he, in terms of how he plays? He's letting his agent speak negatively about the club, how can that happen if he's that man for Man Utd, fighting for the club, fighting for the manager?
If things are going on behind the scenes, in training, in hotels, things his agent is putting out, that can't be right, and that's one of the reasons Mourinho would take it off him.
Jose Mourinho has got his own problems in terms of the end of the season, is he the right manager for Man Utd? But in terms of this confrontation, I'd be with Mourinho before I'd be with Pogba.
It's easier to take a manager out of the situation than it is a player, we know that. I don't think we're at that stage yet, that may come at the end of the season, but there is still plenty to go for.
I'm sick of people making excuses for players about managers not getting the best out of them. Get the best out of yourself! Pogba is such a top player, people talk about his position and being given freedom; what is freedom? People keep saying he needs to be let off the leash, but what is freedom?
Is freedom doing a stupid Cruyff turn on the halfway line and losing the ball and Wolves going up the other end and scoring?
Being a captain and playing central midfield for Manchester United, like Roy Keane, like Paul Scholes, like the other great midfielders, is about playing for the team. And that's why Mourinho has taken the captaincy off him, because he doesn't feel he plays for the team.
I still think he's good enough to be in Manchester United's team, but is he disciplined enough to do what Mourinho wants? I don't think he is.
People talk about Matic coming in, Fred coming in to help Pogba. Help yourself! I'm sick of excuses for big players and managers 'not getting the best' out of you.
I had five or six managers at Liverpool. I might have played slightly better with certain managers over others, but I think in the main I played at my level, whether that was good or bad, whatever that was!
Don't be expecting a different player if Jose Mourinho leaves Manchester United. You won't get it.
