After being left on the bench for Saturday’s 4-1 win over Fulham, the midfielder has been warned to get on the same level as the rest of the team
Jose Mourinho has warned Paul Pogba that he must adopt the same mentality as his Manchester United team-mates and challenged him to show “how good he is” against Valencia on Wednesday.
The midfielder was an unused substitute on Saturday as United beat Fulham 4-1 at Old Trafford to bring an end to their four-game winless run in the Premier League.
It is the second game in a row the 25-year-old has been left out of the starting XI, having been limited to a 15-minute cameo against Arsenal in midweek.
And while the Portuguese admitted Pogba will be given a chance to show his true ability when they travel to Spain for their Champions League game against Valencia, he stressed that he must be on the same level as the rest of the squad,
“He has to play with the same mentality as the rest of the team,” Mourinho told reporters.
“Paul can be a fantastic player, he is going to start against Valencia and he will have a fantastic game to play to show everyone how good he is.”
The Red Devils boss went on to praise his players for their commitment throughout the match, in which Ashley Young, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford found the net to seal three points.
“I think we were intense, without the ball and with the ball,” Mourinho said. “Without the ball pressing, bringing the lines up and not giving them chance to play the football they like to play.
“Then with the ball, one touch, two touches. I think we were really good.
“Of course, we needed it. The last three matches in the Premier League we didn’t lose but we didn’t win.
“The players showed they can be a better team than they have been. When there is solidarity and empathy in the team – the players sticking together and everybody giving their maximum, it attracts more positive things.
“When you have people who run and press and then, with the ball, want to play simple and positive football it attracts more positive things.”