The growing crisis in Manchester United has take another turn as Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, and Pereira joined Paul Pogba's clique.
Anthony Martial is the most obvious ally as part of a coterie of unhappy French-speaking players that also includes Eric Bailly.
Martial fell out spectacularly with Mourinho in the summer after going AWOL from the club's US tour to be at the birth of his baby son in Paris, fuelling his desire to leave Old Trafford.
Bailly is no longer a first-choice centre back after the Ivory Coast international angered Mourinho by pulling out of the home game against West Brom in April due to illness.
One club insider told Sportsmail that 'you could have cut the atmosphere between Pogba, Martial and Jose with a knife' at the Lowry Hotel before United won at Burnley earlier this month.
Andreas Pereira, another player frustrated by his limited opportunities, is understood to have attached himself to the group of Pogba disciples.
It has not gone unnoticed around Carrington that while Pogba arrives at training in a black chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, Pereira has bought himself a white Bentley.
It was no coincidence that the Brazil international featured on the video posted on social media that has landed Pogba in trouble with Mourinho.
Pereira can be seen laughing and joking with Pogba in a private box at Old Trafford while United were struggling to overcome Derby County in a Carabao Cup tie that saw United eventually go out on penalties.
Luke Shaw was the other person in the clip and continues to have a fragile relationship with Mourinho despite his return to the first team this season.
Shaw is on the periphery of that group along with Marcus Rashford, who has grown increasingly unhappy over his lack of game-time under the Portuguese coach.
When Pogba irritated Mourinho once again by playing loud music on the top deck of the team bus en route to Old Trafford from the Lowry for Saturday's draw with Wolves, new signing Fred was the other player making the noise upstairs amid concerns that he too has come under Pogba's influence.
While footballers playing loud music is nothing new, those who have grown tired of Pogba since he returned to United from Juventus for a then world-record fee of £89million in the summer of 2016 insist that it is symptomatic of the brash, over-the-top behaviour that has become part of daily life around Carrington.
It was typical of Pogba to turn up for the Derby game in a bright white tracksuit and gold-rimmed glasses, and it did not go down well when he appeared in the dressing-room area.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, non-playing members of the squad were required to wear official club clothing.
Although that policy has been relaxed in recent years, players are still expected to dress conservatively when they watching from the stands, and this is another area where staff feel that Pogba is setting a bad example.
Other senior players have distanced themselves from the 25-year-old, mindful that Mourinho is monitoring the dynamic in his squad.
Ashley Young, Nemanja Matic and, previously, Michael Carrick are among those who have kept their distance.
Intriguingly, Romelu Lukaku has also cooled his friendship with a team-mate who played a part in his £75m move to United from Everton last year by joining him on holiday in the US.
Lukaku does not want to be seen to be backing Pogba against Mourinho and has stepped back from the situation. They remain on good terms but club insiders have noticed that they are not as close as before.
The delicate balance within the squad explains Mourinho's determination to assert his authority and bring Pogba down a peg or two this week.
'You're not a captain, you will never be a captain,' he told the player in front of team-mates on Tuesday morning having already informed Pogba by text message last week that he would no longer wear the armband because of his desire to quit United for Barcelona.
It was no coincidence that Mourinho chose the 15-minute segment of training being filmed by Sky Sports on Wednesday to confront Pogba over the video posted on Instagram, mindful that young players like Mason Greenwood could see the United star being given a very public dressing-down.
Having accepted that his relationship with Pogba is now beyond repair, Mourinho wants to re-establish control over the rest of the squad before it is too late.
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