Jose Mourinho has explained the reason why he dropped Paul Pogba for their clash against Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Pogba was dropped to the bench after United’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in midweek where he was subbed off in the second half after appearing to have an animated discussions with Mourinho about some tactical issues in midfield.
Speaking to the BBC, here’s what Mourinho said on Pogba dropping to the bench.
Mourinho is likely making a statement to his United team: no player has a divine right to start, no matter how much they cost.
Pogba was overrun at Wembley on Wednesday in midfield with the Frenchman asked to play in a slightly deeper role alongside Nemanja Matic and it didn’t work at all. The 2-0 scoreline flattered United such was Spurs’ dominance.
Mourinho named an attack-minded lineup for that game with Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez all starting, but Pogba wasn’t the only player dropped.
Phil Jones wasn’t named in the 18-man squad after his own goal and a bad display against Spurs, while Ashley Young and Martial were also named on the bench.
