The relationship between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho hit the rocks before a ball was even kicked, Sportsmail understands, with the manager furious at the way the Frenchman's £89million transfer was announced.
Pogba rejoined United in 2016 and his arrival was marked by a wide-ranging social media campaign which sources say Mourinho felt put the player above the club.
The transfer was announced at 12.35am on United's social media feeds, using a hashtag 'Pogback' while an online music video featuring Pogba and Stormzy – put together by kit sponsor Adidas - quickly went viral.
A further video of Pogba arriving in the UK by private jet and touring Carrington, the club's training complex, was also released. Mourinho is understood to have been unimpressed by the furore over Pogba's return, which was meticulously planned.
A club source explained: 'Jose is all about the team and he was seriously annoyed by the whole announcement.
'He feels that no player should be bigger than the club and what appeared to be a branding exercise – making it about Paul Pogba and not United – did not impress him.'
They added that while efforts had been made on both sides in the time that has passed since – with Mourinho making the World Cup winner captain - the relationship has ultimately failed to recover.
'Attempts have been made on both sides,' they said. 'But there have been a number of occasions where Jose has been annoyed by what he's seen from Paul.
'It got off to a bad start and it does not appear to be getting better.'
