Paul Pogba has revealed he spoke with teammates Álvaro Morata and Raphaël Varane about Jose Mourinho before completing his record-breaking return to Manchester United.
The France international left Old Trafford in the summer of 2012 for Juventus but on Tuesday evening, the 23-year-old rejoined the Red Devils for £89m, surpassing the fee Real Madrid paid Tottenham for Gareth Bale’s services in 2013.
And it’s two current Real players, both previously managed by the Portuguese
tactician, Pogba spoke with to get a better idea of his new boss ahead of
their meeting.
“I spoke with a lot of players when he was at Madrid – I spoke with Morata, Varane – and they all told me he’s the coach for me; he will make me improve a lot and make me work harder,” Pogba said (via the Manchester Evening News).
“I feel this. I spoke with him a few times and he gave me energy, he gave me positivity.
“So I was thinking ‘why not?’ I’m sure he can make me improve and make me a better player and a better person.”
Mourinho gave Morata his full Real Madrid debut in December 2010 and he would play a further 17 matches under the Portuguese coach scoring two goals.
As for Varane, his arrival at Madrid from boyhood club RC Lens was overseen by Mourinho who used him in 48 games across all competitions.
It was during the reign of Mourinho that Varane enjoyed his most prolific spell in the famous white of Real, scoring four goals as well as providing a single assist.
Pogba recently played alongside Morata at Juventus, where he scored 27 goals in 93 games. However, he has now returned to Los Blancos after they activated his buy-back clause.
Meanwhile, Pogba’s first Man United game could be against Bournemouth in the Red Devils’ opening clash of the new Premier League season. However, it remains to be seen if Mourinho will use the Frenchman, given he’s not had a full pre-season.
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