Manchester United resigned Paul Pogba in the summer of 2016, and Patrice Evra has revealed he advised the midfielder to join Real Madrid instead.
Pogba came up through Manchester United’s youth system having joined the club as a 16-year-old.
However, in 2012, after failing to persuade Sir Alex Ferguson that he should be playing more, he moved on a free transfer to join Italian giants Juventus.
Four years later, having established himself as one of Europe’s top midfield players, the Frenchman returned to Old Trafford but Evra believes the Red Devils’ top brass made the signing simply to ‘sell shirts’ and ‘humiliate Ferguson’.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Evra said:
“Manchester United brought Paul Pogba back because they wanted to humiliate Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I told Paul to not go back because he wanted Real Madrid and Madrid wanted him.
“But Florentino Perez didn’t want to pay the money.
“His agent called United, and he signed with him without telling me.
“The club was happy because they were selling shirts, you know the kids love Pogba – it was more commercial than anything on the pitch.”
The Glazer family of Manchester United spent an astronomical price to acquire Pogba.
As a result, high expectations were placed on the gifted midfielder.
But during his six-year stay, he was unable to live up to those expectations and left again in 2022 signing on a free transfer to Juventus yet again.
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The Frenchman’s injury and form struggles continued at Juventus for two years before he was guilty of doping and was eventually given a four-year football ban.
Pogba has appealed the ruling with Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn or shorten the ban.