William Gallas has claimed that Jose Mourinho's recent treatment of Paul Pogba is all part of the Portuguese's plan to 'sting' the Frenchman back into form for Manchester United.

Pogba has struggled to perform in recent weeks, and he started the club's last-16 Champions League first leg against Sevilla on Wednesday night on the bench.

The midfielder's future has since been called into question, but Gallas, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, has insisted that the United boss simply wants a reaction from the 24-year-old.

"I had Mourinho for two years at Chelsea and he was with me like he was with the other players," Gallas told SFR Sport.

"He had the habit of stinging the players into action but I think if he stings you it is because he rates you and he thinks you have quality and he wants you at 100%. This is why he has had a go at Paul because he knows Paul can do a lot better. He has been stung and he reacted.

"Paul was on the bench but when he came on, each time he had the ball, you had the feeling he wanted to do well, he didn't lose the ball once and you feel he was concentrating more on his football than other things.

"I think it will do him a lot of good and I think we will see a Paul Pogba get stronger and we will see again the Paul Pogba we saw at Juventus."

Mourinho praised Pogba's 'professionalism' against Sevilla when questioned about the midfielder during his press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash against Chelsea.