Paul Pogba suffered with ‘depression’ after major Jose Mourinho feud, he was reduced to tears after initial Man Utd exit

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It is no secret that Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho did not see eye-to-eye during their time at Manchester United.

After winning the FA Cup in 2016, Manchester United sacked Louis van Gaal rather cruelly before going big in the summer.

Jose Mourinho was available after being axed by Chelsea, meaning he finally got the job at Old Trafford. United made four big signings that summer: Eric Bailly, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Although United invested heavily in the hope that Mourinho would have the tools to take the club forward. He won the League Cup and Europa League in the first season but was sacked in 2018 after a run of poor results.

Mourinho went on to state that his best achievement as United manager was finishing runners-up to Manchester City in his second season, albeit with a big gap between the teams.

The Portuguese coach left Old Trafford with a win ratio of 58.3 per cent in all competitions.

Paul Pogba’s fractured relationship with Jose Mourinho

There is no denying that Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United in 2016 did not go to plan.

The 32-year-old, who is still searching for a new club, spent the majority of his career at Old Trafford.

Pogba left United as a teenager to join Juventus before eventually returning to Old Trafford to complete 233 appearances.

The Frenchman returned to endure a challenging second spell at the club between 2016 and 2022, although Pogba was part of Europa League and League Cup-winning teams.

Meanwhile, on the international stage, Pogba won the World Cup with France in 2018.

Pogba returned to United as a World Cup winner and it wasn’t long before a feud with then-manager Mourinho would erupt.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, Pogba explained how much anguish he felt in those years.

“I didn’t understand,” Pogba said. “I was a player with a big role in the team, and suddenly, I found myself on the bench.

“I couldn’t speak, there was no communication.

“I wasn’t happy, and a football player who isn’t happy can’t perform well. I fell into depression without even realising it. Because no one teaches us what depression is.

“Until I started having holes in my scalp. I didn’t understand what it was. They told me it was stress.”

This shows how bad it got at United when Mourinho began to lose the dressing room.

Pogba would eventually return to Juventus, but that also turned out to be a nightmare for the player since the midfielder was hit with a four-year ban for doping. The sentence was reduced to only 18 months following an appeal.

Pogba reflects on initial Manchester United exit

Although Paul Pogba was held in high regard at Old Trafford after graduating from United’s academy, the Frenchman ended up heading to Juventus.

Pogba admits he was reduced to tears following his exit from United in 2012.

“I was really sad when I left Manchester at 19. At first, I cried,” Pogba added.

“Coming back to this club that was so close to my heart was always my goal.

“[Returning] in the end, it was good for everyone. For Manchester, for Adidas, and for me. Everyone benefited from it.”

The Frenchman went on to spend four seasons in Turin before returning to Manchester in 2016.

It was thought that he had unfinished business at the club after initially leaving the club when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge. Unfortunately, more was expected from the French star.