'He destroyed the kid' - How Jose Mourinho made Mohamed Salah cry as ex-Chelsea midfielder takes aim at 'angry & sulking' Kevin De Bruyne in explosive tell-all interview

• Premier League stars had shorts stints for Chelsea
• De Bruyne always "angry and sulking"
• Mourinho made Salah cry

WHAT HAPPENED? Obi Mikel spoke extensively on De Bruyne and Salah's struggles during their stints at the club. Salah played for the Blues from 2015-16. De Bruyne made just three domestic appearances in a two-year stint from 2012-14.

WHAT THEY SAID: The defensive midfielder revealed on the Obi One Podcast that De Bruyne's attitude prevented him from settling into the side.

"I think De Bruyne wasn't the best trainer back then. He was somebody that comes to training and probably because he wasn't playing that much, always having his head down, always angry and sulking," Obi Mikel said. "He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him."

Obi Mikel also recounted a training ground spat between De Bruyne and Samuel Eto'o. "I remember when Samuel Eto'o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he [De Bruyne] wasn't putting in the effort that Eto'o wanted so they had a massive row on the pitch."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The midfielder also claimed that then-manager Mourinho's abrasive attitude impacted both players. "They [Salah and De Bruyne] were so unlucky that the boss, Mourinho, then didn't take any prisoners. If you weren't doing your job, it didn't matter who you were, he would have a go at you.

"He had a go at Mohamed Salah at half-time once and he was in tears crying. We thought 'OK, he's going to let him back on the pitch' But then he destroyed the kid and then pulled him off. But that was just his mentality back then. But would Mourinho do that now? I think no."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Chelsea face Blackburn tomorrow in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, before traveling to Tottenham on Monday.