Jose Mourinho credited for mending relationship with Man United star

Man United star Paul Pogba Photo: The Sport Review

Martin Keown has credited Jose Mourinho with making steps to improve his relationship with Manchester United record signing Paul Pogba.

The France star returned to his former club Juventus for the first time on Wednesday night after his move back to Manchester United in an £89m deal in the 2016 summer transfer window.

The Manchester United record signing has reportedly fallen out with Mourinho on a number of occasions since his return to Old Trafford, losing the vice captaincy as recent as September.

However, Mourinho allowed Pogba to complete 90 minutes against Juventus in Turin as Manchester United came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over the Serie A giants.

Pogba was dispossessed five times and finished with a pass completion of 82 per cent in what was a relatively disappointing performance from the World Cup winner.

The 25-year-old did play a hand in both of Manchester United’s goals, though. He won the free-kick that led to Juan Mata’s equaliser before his presence in the box forced Alex Sandro into an error.

Asked as part of his weekly column in the Daily Mail to rate Pogba’s performance in the Italian city on Wednesday night, the former Arsenal defender said:

“He gave away the ball an awful lot last night but it was an emotional night for him.

“Pogba received an immense amount of support from the Juventus fans and that can be difficult for a player.

“When you feel that warmth, you can question whether you made the right decision in leaving.

“Crucially, Jose Mourinho stuck with Pogba and did not take him off despite his performance.

“That will help improve their relationship in the long term.”

Pogba has won the Europa League and the League Cup since his return to Manchester United in a club record switch from Juventus in the 2016 summer transfer window.

The France star was initially sold to Juventus for just £800,000 in 2012 when Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge of the 20-time English champions.

Pogba was part of the France squad that won the World Cup crown in the summer, getting on the score sheet in their 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final.

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