Paul Pogba claims Jose Mourinho’s decision to strip him of a role as Manchester United’s vice-captain “doesn’t change anything”.
On the back of playing a leading role for France in their 2018 World Cup triumph, the 25-year-old midfielder was handed the armband by his club.
With Antonio Valencia sidelined at the start of the campaign, Pogba was given the responsibility of leading United into Premier League battle.
He was, however, to see Mourinho rid him of that role amid reports of a rift in the Old Trafford ranks which has led to a breakdown in the working relationship between outspoken coach and flamboyant playmaker.
Pogba has remained a regular for the Red Devils despite being dropped down the captaincy pecking order and claims to have no issue with his manager’s choice, telling reporters of that call ahead of a Champions League clash with Juventus: “It didn’t affect me. I’m still playing and really happy to play.
“The manager is the one who chooses who is going to be captain. If he takes the armband away, it doesn’t change anything for me.
“I just want to play, perform and give my best for the team, the fans and the club and that’s it. It didn’t really touch me or affect me.”
Mourinho made his decision as Pogba’s form was questioned, with his actions sparking reports of an impending exit for the Frenchman as he struggled to justify an £89 million ($117m) price tag.
The Portuguese has, however, maintained throughout that he has never had any problem with a star performer and has stressed again that the pair are happy to be working in tandem.
“One thing is what the press says, and another thing is what Paul says and of course another thing is what I say,” Mourinho said.
“The press says we have a terrible relationship, Paul some weeks ago said we had a typical coach-player relationship, I think we have a good relationship. I would classify it as a good relationship between a coach and a football player.”
With any issues being ironed out behind closed doors, United are in the process of trying to rebuild a season which has suffered a number of early setbacks.
Inconsistency continues to frustrate those at Old Trafford, but a battling 3-2 victory over Newcastle prior to the last international break saw Mourinho’s men collect three points at the start of a run which has delivered seven more from their last three outings.
Pogba believes a dramatic win over the Magpies has been a catalyst for United, with confidence having slowly returned to the fold.
He said: “We started to realise we are Manchester United. Before that game it was really bad and confidence was low, we didn’t give enough but after the win over Newcastle we came back. [We] played really well against Chelsea, we played all together and when you play together it’s always easier.”