Pogba, 33, who returned to professional football at Monaco following an 18-month doping ban, was speaking on the podcast hosted by his former France teammate and current Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni. The timing carries a particular edge given that Mourinho has just agreed to return to the Bernabéu as head coach.
"Honestly, Mourinho is — and I don't want this to be misunderstood — Mou is a good person who will make you feel comfortable. But if he senses that you want to walk over him, or that you want to overshadow him, if he sees that you are becoming too important, he will put you in your place quickly."
Pogba was careful to separate his public image from his private experience of the breakdown in their relationship at Old Trafford.
"I didn't care about not being the star — I just wanted to win."
He traced the moment of rupture to an incident during his rehabilitation from injury in Miami in 2017, when a photograph of him with his wife Zulay emerged publicly while United were in training. Mourinho sent the image to his agent, the late Mino Raiola, implying Pogba was on holiday rather than working.
"All this started when I got injured. I said I was going to Miami to rehabilitate. A paparazzi took a photo of Zulay and me. Mou sent the photo to Mino. I didn't like it at all. He said I was on vacation when we were working like crazy. I told Mourinho: 'Seriously? I'm injured. I train three times a day here. Who do you think I am?' That was the first time I had a problem with my manager."
The relationship never recovered. Mourinho stripped Pogba of the vice-captaincy, made pointed comments about his performances in public and, in one of the most memorable episodes of his tenure, was caught on camera in an argument with the Frenchman during a training session. He later referred to Pogba as a "virus" within the squad.
Pogba acknowledged that the intensity of media attention around him compounded the tension.
"When the media constantly asked him about me, maybe it made him think 'is he done?' And that is also my problem — as with many people, they love asking about me. Always Paul, Paul, Paul, and that probably annoyed him."
Despite everything, the relationship has since settled into something warmer. Pogba's tone was notably free of bitterness.
"Mourinho and I now see each other and we laugh."