Paul Pogba has thanked Jose Mourinho for improving him as a player and a person during his time as Manchester United manager.
Mourinho signed Pogba for a then-world record fee in August 2016, but the pair had a fractious relationship at Old Trafford before the Portuguese's dismissal on Tuesday.
Pogba, however, praised Mourinho after United won 5-1 at Cardiff on Saturday evening, their first game under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who received advice via text message from Wayne Rooney.
We won trophies with Jose and I want to thank him for that," said Pogba, who was omitted for Mourinho's last three Premier League games as United boss.
"He makes me improve, as a person as well and that's it.
"We work even if not everything went well. But that is the past and I went to thank him for that."
United produced their most free-flowing performance of the season to post their biggest win.
Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard (two) were on target as United scored five for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson's final game as manager - a 5-5 draw at West Brom in May 2013.
"We are happy that the first game of the manager starts like this," Pogba said. "It's important now to carry on like that.
"We can not play like this and win with five goals and then the next game lose."
Solskjaer (above), who has made a temporary switch from Norwegian club Molde, has been put in charge until the end of the season when it is expected United will appoint a more experienced manager.
Asked if there were any positives, Solskjaer laughed and said: "There's quite a few!
"The attitude and application of the boys when you go out there and see them, the attitude has been fantastic, the dressing room, the way they approached this game.
"It's been a difficult week for everyone and to get the focus and perform as well as they did impress."
Solskjaer praised his team from front to back in the Welsh capital and playfully pointed out that this was returning coach Mike Phelan's first match in the dugout since United netted five in the league 2,043 days earlier.
"I'm pleased with all of them - every single one of them - but of course it's a threat," Solskjaer said.
"When you've got Martial and Jesse Lingard down either side, Rashford up top with Paul supporting them, it's exhilarating to watch and as long as we keep that standard up we'll keep up picking points."
Solskjaer is excited to see what serious time on the training pitch brings and is hopeful about United's chances of clawing back the gap to the Champions League spots.
"Well, we'll take one game at a time but we're eight points behind and we've caught up teams before at this club," he said.
"Now, though, we've got to catch up a couple, but our job is to take one game at a time.
"Don't look too far ahead but we always play well in second half of the season. Man United teams always do."
Solskjaer received some advice from Wayne Rooney via text message ahead of the match.
The DC United striker revealed he texted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his appointment, urging him to bring back the sense of enjoyment which had entirely disappeared under Jose Mourinho.
United's all-time record goalscorer said sacking the Portuguese was "the right decision" and there was certainly an immediate impact on the pitch as caretaker boss Solskjaer oversaw a 5-1 win at Cardiff in his first game.
Rooney hailed the win as a "massive result" and said no one at Old Trafford had been enjoying life under Mourinho.
He said on BT Sport: "I played with Ole, so I thought I'd give him a message of congratulations, my feelings of how it's been from speaking to some players and what I felt needs to change.
"First of all it was just get the lads enjoying playing football. I think that's what the lads wanted, that's what they were after and he's definitely the guy to make them do that.
