Manchester United's season is very quickly beginning to look as if it will be primarily remembered for the unrest that has emerged around Paul Pogba's place within the club.
Having been described by Jose Mourinho as the "complete midfielder" upon arriving at the club in 2016, the French international has found himself at odds with Portuguese in recent weeks.
With United hitting a relative slump during an important part of the season, Pogba has become the one player above all others to receive particularly abrasive treatment.
Only appearing off the bench during United's uninspiring 0-0 draw against Sevilla mid-week, The Times have reported that a clash between the club and Pogba's agent Mino Raiola may be set to drive a further wedge between the £90 million player:
One senior figure suggested that Raiola has proved to be a disruptive influence at Carrington by telling José Mourinho, the United manager, where to pick Pogba in his team.
Such “meddling” as one source put it, has led to questions about why United are doing business with Raiola.
That "business" between United and Raiola has proved an extremely profitable enterprise for the latter in recent transfer windows.
Beyond the enormous fee that Pogba (and by proxy, Raiola) commanded, the Italian-born agent also has Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Romero on his books; the recent departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan lessening his grip slightly.
An outcome that had concerned many United fans as players from Raiola's stable began to join in their droves, the relative under-performances of Pogba and Lukaku particularly will no doubt force the United hierarchy into reconsidering the current situation.
With Raiola in a position to make plenty of money off any potential transfer that would take one or both players away from the club, it is difficult on one hand to comprehend why the club decided to indulge an agent that former United boss Alex Ferguson most recently dubbed "a bad agent" and a "shitbag".
