MANCHESTER, England — José Mourinho did not have to wait long to be proved right.
In the middle of Paul Pogba’s first season back at Manchester United, as questions lingered and doubts swirled about whether his performances warranted his $114 million, world-record price, his manager turned soothsayer. Soon, he believed, Pogba would look “cheap” by comparison.
“Next summer will bring a few surprises at this level,” Mourinho said at the time. Pogba would, he believed, lose his status as the world’s most expensive player by the end of the summer transfer window. In a few months, Mourinho said, “players with only half his quality will cost the same price.