Former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole believes Paul Pogba is being treated in a similar fashion to ex-Blues legend Frank Lampard by Jose Mourinho. The France international has found himself in-and-out of the United line-up of late, and this spread rumours of a potential training ground spat between the midfielder and the manager.
However, Mourinho was quick to rebuff the story by claiming as a ‘big lie’ and Cole has now cited the Portuguese is utilising his man-management technique with Pogba, he said: “So this was just dropping it in to the press. He didn’t just criticise, he communicated through the press. He’d praise someone in the press.
“I think he said about Frank being the best player in the world. Frank was such a warrior but he didn’t realise how good he was. Maybe him saying that to Frank, as soon as he said it, Frank’s shoulders just went back and you got 10 per cent more out of him. He went on to become one of the exceptional midfielders of his generation. He knew what to say to get things out of different people.”
Since the speculated incident, Pogba has returned to the starting lineup for the victory over Chelsea, and he happened to produce a much better performance on the either side of the field, though a section of the fans were still targeting him for his failure to win a header off Willian cost eventually cost his side the opening goal.
Mourinho has gone with a three-man midfield combination in order to suit Pogba’s needs on the playing field, and only time will tell whether he is capable of lifting his game to the levels exhibited during the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign. The 24-year-old is expected to feature in Monday night’s league clash against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and depending on his performance, Mourinho may decide his setup versus Liverpool next weekend.