French footballer Paul Pogba has opened up about the tough time he went through while playing for Manchester United under manager Jose Mourinho.

Pogba, who is now allowed to play again after his 18-month doping ban ended in March, shared that his relationship with Mourinho became very difficult. Things got worse when Mourinho took away his role as vice-captain. They were even seen having a tense moment during training. Mourinho reportedly called Pogba a “virus” after a draw with Southampton in 2018.

In an interview with GQ France, Pogba revealed that he was deeply unhappy and didn’t know how to deal with it.

“I didn’t understand what was going on. One moment I was an important player, and the next I was sitting on the bench,” Pogba said. “There was no communication.”

He explained how the stress started to affect his health.

“I wasn’t happy, and when a footballer is not happy, he can’t play well,” he added. “I fell into depression without knowing. No one teaches us about depression. I started getting bald spots on my head. They told me it was stress.”

Pogba also talked about a scary situation in 2022 when he was held at gunpoint and blackmailed by a group that included his brother Mathias. The group demanded €13 million from him, and he ended up paying €100,000.

“I kept everything a secret. Even my wife and kids didn’t know,” he said. “I came home and acted like everything was fine. But it was destroying me inside.”

Now that he can play again, Pogba is taking his time before choosing a new club. He has offers from many teams, including Marseille and Inter Miami in the MLS.