‘Like boyfriend and girlfriend’: Paul Pogba opens up on Jose Mourinho fallouts but says he wants to HUG ex-Man Utd boss
PAUL POGBA has opened up on his relationship relationship with Jose Mourinho.
The midfielder played under the Portuguese manager at Manchester United between 2016 and 2018.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Pogba has claimed that the pair would often fall out but would be quick to make up with each other.
He said: “Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend, we were breaking up and making up all the time.
“It started great, he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him and he convinced me to come back.
“I don’t know why it turned into a nightmare and us fighting. Because I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t start the fight.
“We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him.
“f I see him tomorrow it’s a big hug! But one day we will have to sit down together and discuss it.”
Mourinho was the manager who brought Pogba back to Manchester United in 2016.
While they were at the club, they clashed multiple times, including in 2018 when Mourinho was unhappy that Pogba was posting on social media during a match that he missed.
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Mourinho claimed that the World Cup win in 2018 saw Pogba change and return to Man United “different”.
The midfielder had left Old Trafford four years earlier on a free transfer to Juventus.
What is DHEA?
PAUL POGBA tested positive for elevated levels of DHEA, a hormone that naturally occurs in the adrenal gland, in August 2023.
DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, can be used to naturally boost testosterone production. It does not produce testosterone itself.
It is on the world anti-doping banned substances list and carries a maximum of four years if the athlete took it deliberately to enhance their performance.
DHEA can legally be sold over-the-counter in the US as a dietary product, known as prasterone.
It is also taken as an anti-ageing therapy, and to treat depression and the symptoms of menopause, although there is little evidence to suggest it is effective, and it can cause serious side effects.
In 2022, UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six-month ban after testing positive for a DHEA.
Green said he had not realised that DHEA was banned after seeing a video on YouTube, and took the supplement after his wife bought it from a supermarket.
It was at the Italian side that he established himself as one of the best in Europe.
This prompted the Red Devils to splash £90million to bring him back to the club.
During his time at the club he won the Europa League and EFL Cup as well as making a total of 233 appearances.
Pogba, 31, left the club on a free transfer in 2022 at the expiration of his contract and rejoined Juventus.
His first season back in Italy was hampered by injuries before he was then banned for FOUR YEARS for doping.
However, his suspension reduced to 18-months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month after an appeal.
He has insisted that he is not a cheater and that he took responsibility for taking the supplement but did not “triple check it”.
The former France international also revealed which club he would like to play for when he makes his return.
Pogba insisted that he would be keen to rejoin Juventus and even admitted that he would take a pay cut.
Pogba's career by numbers
Here is a look at Paul Pogba's career so far...
Man United, 2009–2012 & 2016-2022
- Appearances: 266
- Goals: 39
- Assists: 48
- Trophies: Europa League, EFL CUP
Juventus, 2012–2016 & 2022-2024
- Appearances 190
- Goals: 34
- Assists: 41
- Trophies: Serie A x4, Coppa Italia x2, Suppercoppa Italiana x2
France, 2013-2022
- Caps: 91
- Goals: 11
- Assists: 9
- Trophies: World Cup, Nations League