Paul Pogba only featured for a paltry 15 minutes in Manchester United’s error-strewn draw against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Having allegedly been labelled a ‘virus’ in the dressing-room by Jose Mourinho, the £89m World Cup winner was vaccinated from the starting line-up with the Manchester United manager’s pointed programme notes revealing with little subtlety that, “there isn’t space for people that are not ready to give it their all.”
And as the disgruntled looking Frenchman left Old Trafford he turned to reporters, shrugged his shoulders, and said: “what did you expect me to say?”
Pogba was the first to leave Old Trafford after the 2-2 draw and was greeted by a muted reception from home fans when he was finally substituted on with the match hanging in the balance.
“We need happiness on the pitch,” Mourinho said. “We need people who give that good feeling, and the three young guys [Rashford, Lingard and Martial], quite light, were alive, agile, creative. The midfield was strong, Herrera pressed so so well and so so hard.”
United face Claudio Ranieri’s Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday and it remains unclear whether Pogba will be reintroduced into the starting line-up, as well as Romelu Lukaku who was dropped on Wednesday.
United go into the weekend already eight points behind the top-four and 18 points adrift from Manchester City.
