Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho reportedly told a senior player to "stay away" from Paul Pogba during the manager's final weeks at the club.
Mourinho endured a fractious relationship with Pogba during his time at Old Trafford, and that is understood to be one of the reasons behind United's decision to part company with him on Tuesday, along with poor results and the team's playing style.
ESPN reports that Mourinho and Pogba's relationship deteriorated even further towards the final weeks of his tenure, with the World Cup winner often left out of the starting XI.
The Portuguese was allegedly concerned that the France international would be a bad influence on the squad and so warned players to avoid him.
The player in question is not named in the report but is described as a "senior player" - although Pogba is not the only member of the squad thought to have lost faith in Mourinho before his sacking.
United will play the first match of the post-Mourinho era against Cardiff City on Saturday, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming up against his former club as interim boss.
Barney Corkhill
