Waching daily Sep 27 2018

Romelu Lukaku has also cooled his friendship with Pogba over recent weeks Senior players at the club have distanced themselves from the midfielder There are worries that players are backing their team-mate over the manager Jose Mourinho must heal a growing rift within his dressing-room that has been exacerbated by his toxic feud with Paul Pogba

As Manchester United prepare to travel to London to face West Ham on Saturday, Mourinho must restore some harmony to a group of players who are growing tired of his antics

It will be a test of Mourinho's debatable man-management skills. Mourinho's differences with Pogba have been laid bare this week after the United manager confirmed that the France World Cup winner has been stripped of the vice-captaincy and the two men were involved in a training ground spat in front of television cameras

There are concerns at United that the ongoing dispute could poison Mourinho's relationship with other first-team players and bring him into conflict with a young group that is close to Pogba

Anthony Martial is the most obvious ally among a coterie of unhappy French-speaking players that also includes Eric Bailly

Martial fell out spectacularly with Mourinho in the summer after leaving the club's US tour to be at the birth of his baby son in Paris

The French forward wants to leave Old Trafford. Bailly is no longer a first-choice centre back after the Ivory Coast international angered Mourinho by pulling out of the home game against West Brom in April due to illness

Club insiders described an uncomfortably tense atmosphere between Mourinho, Pogba and Martial at the Lowry Hotel before United played at Burnley earlier this month

Indeed, the current feeling of animosity is such that some staff would rather Pogba was not on board when United take a train to London on Friday afternoon

Andreas Pereira, another player frustrated by his limited opportunities, is understood to have attached himself to the group of Pogba disciples

While United's record £89million signing usually arrives at training in a black, chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, it has not gone unnoticed that Pereira has bought himself a white Bentley

The Brazil international featured on the video posted on social media that has landed Pogba in trouble with Mourinho

It was still all the talk around Carrington on Thursday, although the mood was said to be calm as the Frenchman kept a low profile for once

In the video, Pereira is laughing and joking with Pogba in a private box at Old Trafford while their team-mates were struggling against Derby in a Carabao Cup tie that saw United eventually go out on penalties

Luke Shaw was the other person in the video and he continues to have a fragile relationship with Mourinho despite his return to the first team this season

Shaw is on the periphery of Pogba's group along with Marcus Rashford, who has grown unhappy with his limited role under the Portuguese coach

It has emerged that Mourinho reprimanded Rashford for failing to complete a warm-down after he was substituted in last week's win over Young Boys in Bern

Three days later, Pogba irritated Mourinho once again by playing loud music on the top deck of the team bus en route to Old Trafford before the draw with Wolves

Summer signing Fred was the other player cranking up the volume and there are concerns that he, too, may come under the influence of his team-mate

While footballers playing loud music is nothing new, those who have grown tired of Pogba thought it showed a lack of focus and was symptomatic of his brash, over-the-top behaviour that has become part of daily life around the club

It was typical of Pogba to turn up for the Derby game in a bright white tracksuit and gold-rimmed glasses as he came into the dressing-room area before the game and at half time

Although the policy established by Sir Alex Ferguson requiring non-playing members of the squad to turn up in official club wear has been relaxed, players are still expected to dress conservatively and this is another area in which staff feel Pogba is setting a bad example

Some senior players have distanced themselves from the 25-year-old midfielder, mindful that Mourinho is keeping a close eye on them

Ashley Young, Nemanja Matic and, before he retired and joined the coaching staff, Michael Carrick are among those who have kept their distance from Pogba

Intriguingly, Romelu Lukaku has also cooled his friendship with a team-mate who played a part in his £75m move to United from Everton last year by joining him on holiday in the US

Lukaku does not want to be seen to be backing Pogba against Mourinho. The two players remain on good terms but club insiders have noticed they are not as close as before

The other players who have been caught in the middle of Mourinho's rift with Pogba are growing tired of the behaviour of both men and the toxic atmosphere it has created

That may explain Mourinho's determination to assert his authority and bring Pogba down a peg or two this week

Having accepted that their relationship is now beyond repair, Mourinho wants to re-establish control over the rest of the squad before it is too late