Jose Mourinho Urges Paul Pogba To Understand ‘Why He Was Very Good At The World Cup
Jul 19, 2018 at 8:10 PM
Lavishing praise on Paul Pogba, Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho urged the midfielder to “understand why” he was one of the stars for France at the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Contrary to his lukewarm season with United last season, Pogba proved his worth in gold for the Les Bleus, helping them win the coveted title.
Paul scored a brilliant third goal for his side in the final which had effectively put the tie beyond’s Croatia reach.
France had gone on to thrash their opponent 4-2 to win their second FIFA World Cup. The performance in the final was an icing on the cake for Pogba.
The former Juventus star had made a poor start to the campaign, struggling in the group games. But as the tournament wore on, he showed the same form that had made him one of the most sought-after players in the world not very long ago.
Pogba had endured a tough last season under Mourinho. He found himself left on the bench for both legs of the Champions League last-16 defeat to Sevilla.
The France international also got withdrawn during losses to Tottenham and Newcastle United. The turn of events had even given rise to speculations that not everything is fine between Pogba and Mourinho.
Pogba’s displays must have delighted Mourinho. And the Portuguese now wants the midfielder to analyse his World Cup performances and understand how he can contribute in a similar way to United.
Speaking at his first news conference of United’s pre-season tour of the United States, Mourinho confirmed he passed on congratulations to Pogba before praising the player.
“I hope that he understands why he was very good,” Mourinho said.
“I think that’s the point about his performance level and his contribution to a winning team – for him to understand why he was so good, especially in the second part of the competition.
“In the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final he was absolutely brilliant.”
He further said,
“To win the World Cup can only be a positive thing. It’s difficult to say that to win the World Cup is not good for a player’s career. So many good players never have the chance to be a world champion.
“It’s a young [France] team, apart from [Olivier] Giroud, [Hugo] Lloris and a few others they are all young and have more years to play together,” he added. “The future for [Pogba] in the French national team, among that fantastic group of players, can only be brilliant.”