Jose Mourinho Faces Dressing-Room War After Further Criticisms of Key Players Amid Paul Pogba Feud

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho faces the serious possibility of a mutiny from his players after some of the side's key men have now become involved in Mourinho's feud with Paul Pogba.

Pogba appeared to criticise Mourinho's tactics following his side's 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the manager has since confirmed that Pogba has been stripped of the vice-captaincy.

LINDSEY PARNABY/GettyImages

According to The Daily Mail, many key players have begun taking sides in the dressing room. Those who are close to Pogba, such as Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly and Andreas Pereira, are believed to be unhappy with their manager, with Martial's clash with Mourinho from earlier this summer referenced as another reason for the dressing-room divide.

Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford are also believed to be with Pogba, with Rashford facing the brunt of Mourinho ire recently. The Daily Mail also report that Mourinho has openly criticised Rashford's work ethic in a recent team meeting, after the English striker disappointed during the team's Champions League tie with Young Boys.

The player management issues do not end there. Following the 2-1 loss to Derby County, the manager openly humiliated Phil Jones and Eric Bailly after the former missed the decisive penalty. 

Mourinho said: “I knew we were going to be in trouble with Jones and with Eric. I knew we were going to be in trouble then.”

According to The Sun, these comments are believed to have had a negative impact on the squad, with the majority of players believing that the criticism was unfair.

However, there are also a group of players who are distancing themselves from Pogba, which risks creating a huge divide in the dressing room. Ashley Young and Nemanja Matic are believed to have sided with their manager, whilst Pogba's close friend Romelu Lukaku has surprisingly cut his ties with the midfielder.

GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

Pogba is said to be furious that Lukaku is backing his manager, which could lead to further problems for two of Manchester United's most influential players.

With such a volatile atmosphere in the dressing room, Mourinho certainly has a job on his hands to bring the players back together.