Report: Mourinho told United player to 'stay away' from Pogba

Jose Mourinho's troubled relationship with Paul Pogba is under scrutiny once again thanks to a report from ESPN's Mark Ogden, whose sources said the former Manchester United manager warned at least one other player to stay away from the midfielder.

The pair were seemingly at odds in the months leading up to the club's decision to relieve the 55-year-old Mourinho of his duties Tuesday after two-and-a-half-years in charge.

Pogba's apparent distrust towards his manager increased once he got word that Mourinho told a senior player during a one-on-one meeting to avoid letting the French international influence him. The Portuguese gaffer reportedly labeled Pogba a "virus" earlier this season.

Mourinho's warning was apparently passed on by the unnamed player to other United teammates, who are said to have developed a sense of "ill-feeling" towards their manager.

Ogden reports as many as 90 percent of United players shared a negative view of Mourinho, a feeling that only deepened as the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss criticized them publicly in the media.

It's understood several United stars were ready to leave next summer if Mourinho remained in charge. But now there is a celebratory mood among players, according to Ogden's sources; only a handful of United players reportedly visited the manager at his training ground office after news of his dismissal broke.