Mourinho’s side, out of action for two weeks since winning an FA Cup quarterfinal against Brighton, face struggling Swansea at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the United head coach forced to decide whether to recall the French international to his lineup.
Pogba has been left out of the starting eleven by Mourinho for United’s past three games, a shocking turn of events given the fact that the three games included an FA Cup quarterfinal, a vital Champions League tie against Sevilla, and a high-profile Premier League meeting with fierce local rivals Liverpool.
But the 25-year-old’s struggle to find consistent form, as well as an obvious difficulty on Mourinho’s part to fit him into a system that suits his style of play, has seen Pogba reach what appears to be a crossroads in his career under the Portuguese head coach.
Should Mourinho retain his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation against Swansea, the decision about his position in United’s starting lineup may be aided by the fact that young Scotland international Scott McTominay, who has played in Pogba’s position for two of those past three fixtures, has returned from international duty with a calf injury.
Pogba strengthened his claims for a recall by turning in an impressive performance for France in their 3-1 friendly victory against World Cup hosts Russia in Saint Petersburg in midweek.
In keeping with the inconsistent nature of his season, however, he had been left out of the previous World Cup warm-up game against Colombia.
The win in Russia included a free-kick goal from Pogba, the first time he has found the net since scoring for United in a4-1 Premier League win over Newcastle in mid-November.
That game also featured an assist from the Manchester United man, something he has failed to provide for his club for two and a half months.
At the heart of Pogba’s problems with United lies the issue of which system favours the Frenchman, with the player himself known to prefer a 4-3-3 approach that allows him to focus on his offensive, rather than his defensive, talents.
However, Mourinho has been reluctant to adopt that formation, with Pogba usually used in front of his back four, a fact that explains why he has scored just three times this season and has not hit the net for United for over four months.
Mourinho possibly has bigger issues with which to contend after United players returned from the international break this week to prepare for their first club fixture in two weeks against Swansea.
The United head coach launched an astonishing verbal tirade against his players after the FA Cup tie, accusing them of showing “a lack of personality, lack of class and lack of desire” despite a comfortable 2-0 win.
Only midfielders Nemanja Matić and McTominay, playing in place of Pogba, were spared Mourinho’s wrath, and the United boss faces a stern test of his man-management skills to ensure there is no residual effect from that public humiliation of his stars.
Former England left-back Luke Shaw, substituted at halftime of the Brighton game, bore the brunt of Mourinho’s anger; hence, Mourinho will be hoping Ashley Young recovers from the knee injury he sustained playing for Gareth Southgate’s team against Italy on Tuesday in order to replace his team-mate against Swansea.