Jose Mourinho shuts down reports of a rift with Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba

Jose Mourinho has rubbished fresh reports of a breakdown of his relationship with Paul Pogba and insists he has never been happier with the player.

The Manchester United superstar told journalists there were things he could not say about his situation at Old Trafford because he would be fined.

A report in The Sun newspaper on Thursday even went as far as to claim Mourinho had told the midfielder he should hand in a transfer request rather than speaking to the media.

Barcelona are said to be interested in signing Pogba before the end of the month and his agent Mino Raiola has held talks with the Catalan giants.

However, Mourinho set the record straight in his weekly press conference and confirmed there were no issues between the pair and he would retain the captaincy for now.

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Mourinho said: “The truth is we are together for two years and a couple of weeks and I’ve never been so happy with him as I am now, that’s the truth.

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“I cannot demand more from him, I cannot ask more from him, he came here on a Monday, trained three days, I asked for his support for his contribution in an important match for us when the team had difficulties.

“He did it better and for more time than we could expect, when he says he did it for the fans and for the team is exactly what I want, is exactly what I demand from my players, he’s working well, playing well, he does for the fans, he does for the team and that’s what I want, to play for the team and I couldn’t be happier than what I am.

“I want him to play well, I want him to play for that team, the fans, and that is what it is.

“He’s working extremely well here but I have to say in his defence, write what you want about him, me, please don’t say lies, don’t put him in a situation that people can think he’s not a polite, educated guy, he is. He never had a fight with me. We never had a harsh exchange of words, everything is respected, I have no problems at all.”

Mourinho was bemused left by Pogba’s comments about the prospect of being fined following Friday’s win over Leicester in their opening game.

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The Special One says he has never fined the midfielder during his time at the club, instead revealing Anthony Martial was the only star to have been disciplined.

Mourinho added: “You have to ask Paul [why he said that]. I’m here for two years and a couple of months and the only player that was fined was Anthony Martial.

“It is not easy to be fined here, so you have to ask him. I’m not going to ask him. I want him to work the way he is doing and play the way he is doing and that’s all that matters.”