Manchester United's former assistant manager Chris Armas has lifted the lid on what he said to Paul Pogba after being dropped by Ralf Rangnick.
Armas arrived at United at the end of last year when he became interim boss Ralf Rangnick's right-hand man following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, the pair failed to lead the Reds to a successful second-half of the season as the club finished in sixth place.
It was a brief spell at Old Trafford as both Rangnick and Armas went on to the leave United at the end of the 2021/22 season. After just six-months in charge of the club, it was decided that United would look elsewhere following the disappointing performances on the pitch.
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The arrival of Erik ten Hag has brought about a new wave of optimism among supporters as the Dutch manager looks to instil his philosophy in the squad. However, football managers will be all too aware that getting your team to perform on the pitch is not the only aspect of the role.
Managing superstars is no easy task and Ten Hag had to deal with this issue before his side even kicked a ball. Cristiano Ronaldo's future has hung over the club for the duration of the summer and managing players of his magnitude requires a certain level of skill and authority.
This was arguably one of the things that went wrong during Rangnick's time in Manchester, and Armas has now revealed how he dealt with the man-management of United's star-studded side.
Speaking on The Crack Podcast, the former assistant manager revealed what he said to Pogba after the player was dropped from the side by Rangnick.
He said: “This is the man management part, dealing with Cristiano Ronaldo, having talks with him. I feel like if I can be in that locker room having certain discussions, honest discussions – with Paul Pogba.
“That’s why he puts his arm around me and goes ‘Chris, you’ve got to take my number’. I reached [out to] him, because I told him the truth.
“I know the manager didn't play you, but why not just be the best player in training now every single day. You've won the World Cup, you're an incredible player, just every day be the example of what it should look like man, come on.”
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