Mourinho: Pogba was by far the best player on the pitch

Paul Pogba was “by far the best player on the pitch” in Monday’s FA Cup defeat at Chelsea, according to Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

To most observers, the France international struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, spending much of the last-eight tie on the periphery as Chelsea bossed the midfield before getting the winner through N’Golo Kante in the second half.

But Mourinho reserved words of praise for his £89million world-record signing afterwards, hailing him as the game’s star performer while also accusing his detractors of jealousy.

He told MUTV: “We have to be positive, the players were phenomenal but I refer to one because he’s the one that the specialists enjoy to go after because, in their time, they were not getting 10 per cent of the money he is getting.

“It probably comes from envy, but for me Paul Pogba was by far the best player on the pitch.

“He was a giant on the pitch. After him, all my other boys were fantastic.”