Paul Pogba has issued a cryptic response to being dropped by Jose Mourinho for Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Sevilla on Wednesday evening.
The France international was surprisingly named as a substitute for the first leg in Spain but ended up coming on after just 17 minutes as Ander Herrera was forced off with a hamstring injury.
The last-16 tie remains finely poised after a goalless draw, while Pogba is now set to keep his place in midfield due to Mourinho’s limited options.
In an Instagram post after the match, Pogba posted a picture of himself warming up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium with the caption: ‘God’s plan’.
Mourinho had claimed that his decision to bench Pogba was due to the midfielder creating doubt by making himself unavailable for United’s FA Cup fixture against Huddersfield last Saturday.
Pogba missed the game due to illness, while Mourinho appeared to aim a dig at the midfielder after the 2-0 victory.
But after the draw against Sevilla on Wednesday night, Mourinho praised Pogba for his display.
‘I think Paul made a big effort to try to give the team what I ask the team,’ said the United manager.
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‘I started with Ander and Scott [McTominay], I think a fantastic player like [Ever] Banega wasn’t [allowed to be fantastic], because he didn’t have the space to be the Banega the world of football admires.
‘And Paul replaced Ander. He tried to bring to the game the same kind of qualities, plus he has security with the ball.
‘Of course he lost a couple of possessions, but he gave us also stability – because we had a good percentage of ball possession for the way we play a match away from home against a good team like Sevilla.
‘We had a good percentage of the ball and that means control of the game and I think Paul had responsibility on that.
More: Manchester United FC
Paul Pogba has issued a cryptic response to being dropped by Jose Mourinho for Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Sevilla on Wednesday evening.
The France international was surprisingly named as a substitute for the first leg in Spain but ended up coming on after just 17 minutes as Ander Herrera was forced off with a hamstring injury.
The last-16 tie remains finely poised after a goalless draw, while Pogba is now set to keep his place in midfield due to Mourinho’s limited options.
In an Instagram post after the match, Pogba posted a picture of himself warming up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium with the caption: ‘God’s plan’.
Mourinho had claimed that his decision to bench Pogba was due to the midfielder creating doubt by making himself unavailable for United’s FA Cup fixture against Huddersfield last Saturday.
Pogba missed the game due to illness, while Mourinho appeared to aim a dig at the midfielder after the 2-0 victory.
But after the draw against Sevilla on Wednesday night, Mourinho praised Pogba for his display.
‘I think Paul made a big effort to try to give the team what I ask the team,’ said the United manager.
More: Football
‘I started with Ander and Scott [McTominay], I think a fantastic player like [Ever] Banega wasn’t [allowed to be fantastic], because he didn’t have the space to be the Banega the world of football admires.
‘And Paul replaced Ander. He tried to bring to the game the same kind of qualities, plus he has security with the ball.
‘Of course he lost a couple of possessions, but he gave us also stability – because we had a good percentage of ball possession for the way we play a match away from home against a good team like Sevilla.
‘We had a good percentage of the ball and that means control of the game and I think Paul had responsibility on that.
