Paul Pogba must use season's closing stages to re-establish himself at Manchester United

At Carrington on Friday, Jose Mourinho was asked what he had made of Paul Pogba’s displays over the international break. “I don’t comment on my players’ performances in national teams,” was his response, which presumably went down well in the offices of Russia Today.

And as well as disappointing Mourinho’s summertime paymasters, they could also have disappointed Pogba. During France’s 3-1 win over Russia on Tuesday night, the Manchester United midfielder set up Kylian Mbappé’s opener, scored one spectacular free-kick and was, according to L’Equipe, a “released and decisive” presence. Mourinho had no excuse to miss this performance, either. It was shown live on MUTV.

However, when offered the chance to acknowledge what could be a revival in form for arguably his most important and most talented player, he declined.

It was a sign that the frostiness we have seen between the pair since that touchline argument at Wembley in late January is yet to thaw. Mourinho’s underlying point on Friday was a fair one – he wants to see Pogba playing like an £89m player for United, not France. Pogba, in return, might argue he needs to play for United in order to do that.

The 90 minutes against Russia was only his third since that heated exchange with Mourinho in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. When the same L’Equipe article described Tuesday as one of Pogba’s “most complete matches in 2018”, it was unclear whether the author was complimenting his performance or merely noting his amount of time on the pitch.

It should be remembered that Pogba would probably have played more of late if not for injury. A light knock prevented him from taking part against Liverpool and limited him to half-an-hour in the return leg against Sevilla, but Mourinho was adamant that the player’s recent struggles were not down to the more serious hamstring problem he suffered in the autumn.

“It’s nothing to do with his injury. His recovery was good,” he insisted at his pre-Swansea press conference. When invited to give his own reason for Pogba’s recent problems, the United manager was evasive. “Ask him,” he said. “Ask him when you get a chance what he thinks about it.”

The longer this strange tension persists, the more curious it will become and the more questions it will provoke. That is why, for Pogba, Mourinho and United as a club, the first international break in four months seemed to come at a good time.

Much tension was caused by the elimination to Sevilla, that 12-minute monologue and the post-Brighton criticism, and even if it has not wholly disappeared, the last fortnight has allowed it to ease a little. Mourinho was not combative on the topic on the topics of either Pogba or Luke Shaw, as he might have been a few weeks ago. Instead, he seemed keen to let the players’ performances do the talking.

After all, United may be out of Europe and playing for second place in the Premier League, but over the course of the next seven weeks, they have the opportunity to spoil their neighbours’ ultimate party and set up one of their own at Wembley. It has not and will not be a stellar season but there could still be moments to savour and there is still something to salvage.

And, by the time these next seven weeks are up, Pogba could have an FA Cup winners’ medal around his neck, having re-established himself in United’s midfield and rediscovered some of his early season form. If he takes the opportunities he is given, the troubles of the last two months will be forgotten as an irrelevance.

If he does not, then it will be interesting to see if his club manager can still bite his tongue during this summer’s World Cup.