Mourinho, the lesser of two evils: Richard Buxton

Remarkably, Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba appear to have discovered some common ground.

Manchester United's feuding factions remain no closer to reaching a truce in their ongoing war of attrition, but have at least agreed to strip away all elements of pretence.

The key protagonists in the Red Devils' soap opera see no point in masking an already thinly veiled contempt for each other.

A shock League Cup third-round exit to Derby County yesterday morning (Singapore time) became a mere sideshow to the entire debacle.

SETTING DOWN A MARKER

Pogba allows his words to speak louder than actions, insisting that Mourinho is to blame for United's lack of attacking football, while his manager prefers the opposite.

Stripping the France international of all captaincy roles set down a marker, just not the one he had hoped.

Both imbalanced and regularly lurching between extremes, United currently resemble a club increasingly evolved in the Special One's image.

There is no such thing as "routine" in Mourinho's world, as the loss to his former Chelsea lieutenant Frank Lampard underlined.

Yet support for the Portuguese coach has grown at Old Trafford of late, within the stands as much as the boardroom.

Any illusions that Pogba remains an exponent of the "United way" are continuing to fade with each strand of inconsistent performances and media broadside.

Strategic manoeuvring runs through everything he does; even the choice of an all-white tracksuit in which he observed United's crashing out to the English Championship outfit felt like a move designed to convey him as an angelic offset to Mourinho's perennial gloom.

The Stretford End, however, appears to be growing tired of the World Cup winner's shenanigans to the point that his manager is now perceived as the lesser of the two evils.

Chants in support of Mourinho have grown in both frequency and volume in recent weeks.

Ambiguity over the midfielder's long-term future, with a potential move to Barcelona becoming an ever-growing elephant in the room, has done little to endear him to United fans.

Agent Mino Raiola's role in the foreground remains an outspoken warning from history.

Any player that stepped out of line under Sir Alex Ferguson never lasted long.

In all battle of wills between the Old Trafford dugout and dressing room, the manager ultimately won - even Pogba and Raiola attempted to hold the club to ransom over a new deal six years ago.

Mourinho may finally be winning his personal battles but the on-field ones seldom follow.

United responded to last month's chastening loss to Tottenham by recording successive EPL victories - a feat unmatched in his 2015 downfall at Chelsea - as well as a flawless start to their Champions League campaign against Young Boys last week.

Invariably, though, the bubble is never far away from bursting.

FULL CIRCLE

A draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers came full circle against Derby yesterday.

Pogba still bears some responsibility for the former, with his laissez-faire approach notably contributing to United's dropped points.

It is inconceivable that Mourinho will rest the 25-year-old for a second straight game when his side travel to West Ham on Saturday, but their relationship is at a crucial juncture.

One will eventually triumph over the other, with Pogba still tipped to outlast his manager.

After all, the Theatre of Dreams is only big enough to accommodate a solitary swelled ego.

United would actually be better without both.