José Mourinho starting to enjoy the fruits of Paul Pogba’s growing maturity | Richard Jolly


Manchester United’s options continue to evolve with their record £89m signing offering a less flamboyant, more responsible presence in the win over Watford

Sometimes when José Mourinho crowbars a comment into an answer it is because he can seem an incorrigible mischief-maker, forever ready to take a sly dig at a rival. At others, he is less provocative, but more instructive. So it was when he was asked about Manchester United’s fourth consecutive clean sheet.

After praising his defence, he took a detour to cite Paul Pogba’s influence. “He is playing with great balance in these last two games: he is playing with his brain, he is recovering a lot of balls, he is very good in his positional play,” Mourinho said. Pogba tends to receive more compliments for his talent but tactical discipline is a trait Mourinho values. Perhaps it will enable a less flamboyant, more dependable Pogba to afford United another option.

Related: Anthony Martial takes his chance as Manchester United outclass Watford

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