was dropped for 's 2-0 home win over Huddersfield.
The international midfielder was taken off during the midweek loss to Tottenham, and boss was questioned about an exchange the two had on the sidelines.
He played that down, but if Pogba is to join his team-mates in redeeming that Wembley defeat by Spurs, he will have to hope the nod from Mourinho comes.
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For 24 minutes it was painful. The little man, wearing that fabled No 7 jersey, had spent his time wincing and grimacing after a succession of heavy tackles.
This wasn’t the picture Alexis Sanchez would have had in his mind for first Manchester United start at Old Trafford but that had been the reality. Huddersfield’s plan, evidently, revolved around bullying the Chilean and trying to muscle him out of the game.
As it turned out, it was the worst thing they could have done. Rather than intimidating Sanchez, the heavy treat lit a fuse and from the moment he skipped past Tommy Smith in the 25th minute and cracked a shot at Jonas Lossl, his persistence and aggression drove Huddersfield to distraction.
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A king’s ransom has been invested in Sanchez to be a game-changer and that is what he showed himself to be here. He would go on to score a goal, rammed home at the second attempt after his initial penalty had been saved, but it was his all-round performance that had Jose Mourinho purring.
‘This is his character,’ said Mourinho, who had seen Romelu Lukaku’s 54th minute strike end Huddersfield’s resistance. ‘He is a fantastic player but he is not a primadonna. He's a humble guy, who doesn’t forget where he started.
‘When he was playing in Chile, he had difficult places to play, difficult opponent. I think he's used to that (kind of tackling). Referees have to analyse the game and make decisions. That's it. He was completely dead (on his feet) by the end of the game but enjoying the dynamic of the team.’
Sanchez was the reason the locals could smile as they left after what was an emotionally charged occasion, this being the home game closest to the 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster; the hush that descended over the stadium for the minute’s silence raising goose-bumps.
When the game started, however, United were confronted by a team in mood to rollover. Huddersfield had been abject four days earlier against Liverpool and David Wagner set up his team to stifle and suffocate the spaces in which the home team wanted to play.
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‘I wanted us to stay stable and compact,’ said Wagner. ‘I wanted us to frustrate them for as long as we could.’
Every tackle meant the world to Wagner’s players but their physical approach began to eat away at Mourinho, particularly in the 18th minute when left-back Terence Kongolo clattered into Scott McTominey in the area. Only referee Stuart Attwell will know why he never awarded a penalty.
Slowly, the disruption of play and the heavy challenges began to gnaw away at Mourinho and he came close to overstepping the mark when asking for a yellow card to be shown when Rajiv van la Parra, who had lying on the floor claiming he was injured before jumping up to chase a ball.
Mourinho is not a character who generates sympathy but this one occasion when you could understand his frustration. United were operating on another level to Huddersfield and he was concerned territorial dominance would not end a tangible reward.
‘At half-time, when it is 0-0, you feel the pressure,’ said Mourinho. ‘It was important to stay calm and keep the identity of the team. Do not go long when you have players who are better with the ball at their feet.’
One of those players was Sanchez. Fittingly, he was involved in the move that secured the breakthrough when he pilfered the ball from Florent Hadergjonaj, fed it to Nemanja Matic, who in turn found Juan Mata. The Spaniard’s inch-perfect cross was hammered in by Lukaku.
‘When it goes 1-0, the game is ours,’ said Mourinho.
He was right. Once United had the lead, they were never going to be beaten. Huddersfield have not scored in the Premier League in 2018 and never remotely threatened David De Gea, who was barely involved in the contest.
Sanchez, by contrast, was always on the scene and in the 67th minute, he got what he hopes will be the first of many goals in front of the Stretford End, finishing at the second attempt after Lossl had kept out his initial spot-kick which he had won after being chopped by Michael Hefele.
‘It was not a dream goal for Aleixs,’ said Mourinho. ‘Every player prefers to score a penalty without a save and the second ball, but also show his attention to detail, his reaction and his desire. For me? That's fine.’
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