Jose Mourinho says any speculation the relationship between him and Paul Pogba has broken down are “lies”.
Recent reports have suggested Pogba is unhappy with the position he is being asked to play in by Mourinho, while others have linked him with a move to Real Madrid in the summer.
However, when asked about this speculation, Mourinho said: “I think you are nice with your words because when you say a lot of speculation, you should say a lot of lies.
“I can speak on Paul’s behalf without any kind of problem. He accepts he’s not been playing well in the last few matches, but that’s all.
“It’s a big lie that our relationship is not good. It’s a big lie that we don’t communicate. It’s a big lie that we don’t agree with his position and his dynamic within the team.
“The team needs him at a good level and when he isn’t the team is not as good. So be objective and say what we all know – in the last couple of matches he didn’t play well. Period. “The majority of the things you can read and listen to – don’t be nice, be objective and say lies.”
Mourinho acknowledged Pogba preferred to play on the left of a midfield three in a 4-3-3 formation, whereas many argue he has been playing in a deep midfield role as part of a 4-2-3-1.
However, Mourinho insisted that was not the case, and Pogba has been given opportunities in his favourite position.
He said: “It’s quite ridiculous to speak about his position. I would like somebody to tell me in which position they think Pogba played against Newcastle.
“We played with Matic, Lingard on the right side of Matic and Pogba on the left side of Matic.
