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Jose Mourinho leaps to Paul Pogba's defense in epic rant
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has jumped to the defense of Paul Pogba in a scathing rebuke of the midfielder's naysayers. The manager hit out at critics, particularly pundits, who the Portuguese says are conveying a level of envy that has the manager "scared."
"It's not Paul's fault that he gets 10 times the money that some players — some very good players — did in the past. It is not his fault that some of the pundits, they are in real trouble with their lives and they need every coin to survive and Paul is a multi-millionaire. It is not his fault."
Pogba, who signed this past summer from Juventus for a record £100 million fee and earns a reported £290,000-per week, hasn't quite lived up to the lofty expectations set for him. He's far been far from a bust, but the midfielder has scored just seven goals and contributed five assists in 40 appearances with the Red Devils across all competitions.
Nevertheless, Mourinho thinks the pundits need to ease up on the 24-year-old Frenchman.
"I think he deserves, I think his family deserves respect. He is a kid that comes from a working family, a family with three boys that I am sure they need a lot of food on that table every day because they are big giants. I am sure that the mom and the dad they had to work hard for many, many years for them," Mourinho said.
The manager also praised Pogba's career path, which took him from France to Manchester as a teenager, then to Italy with Juventus and finally as the world's most expensive player.
"A kid that reached the top of the world with his work, nobody gave him anything," Mourinho insisted.
With the sea of media covering the Premier League, it's impossible to pinpoint which pundit (or pundits) drew Mourinho's attention. No matter who it is, Mourinho says, the good news is that his star player is unfazed by the chatter.
"I think also a good thing is that because of his personality he doesn't give an 'S' to what people says."
Whether you love Mourinho or Jose Mourinho, one thing is unequivocal: the man knows how to deliver a sound bite.
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