Man Utd: Pogba reveals ‘sad’ reason why his £89m return to Old Trafford failed – ‘I was surprised’
Juventus and France star Paul Pogba has spoken openly about his return to Premier League giants Man Utd and why this transfer did not work out.
After coming through the ranks at Man Utd, Pogba left in 2012 to join Serie A outfit Juventus. He made a huge impact during his time in Turin over four seasons.
His performances for Juventus led to him re-joining Man Utd for a then-world record fee of around £89m in 2016.
Pogba spent six seasons at Man Utd during his second spell and he made over 200 appearances for them across all competitions.
The midfielder often flattered to deceive in a United shirt as his best performances often came when he played for France. His career highlight came when he helped his country win the World Cup in 2018.
Pogba was hampered by injuries during the latter stages of his second spell at Man Utd and his contract expired at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 30-year-old returned to Juventus last year and he endured a nightmare first campaign back in Italy. He picked up a serious injury in pre-season and he did not make his first official appearance of the season until February. Overall, he only played ten times for the Turin outfit in 22/23.
Pogba has now reflected on why he opted to leave Man Utd in 2022. He thinks he never felt “love from the fans” and it was “quite sad” to be “given a label” following his £89m transfer.
“When I left Manchester, I was young. And when you’re young, you want to prove something. I came to Juve, to a fairly young Italian club, it was a big test for me. But I immediately saw the love of the supporters,” Pogba said in an interview with French outlet Views.
“I saw the love of the club. I really liked how they worked and learned a lot. I went back to Manchester because I hadn’t finished my work there. I said to myself ‘I really want to play with the A’s [the first team]’. I did it and it was a goal achieved for me.
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“We have already won, not the Premier League, but titles that Manchester have not won for a long time. And I came back to Juve, why? Because it’s really the club that helped me push myself.
“And really the love from the fans, the love from the club that I get, I didn’t get that in Manchester. I was quite surprised when I came back to England, already with the transfer I was given a label. It was quite sad.
“But it’s two clubs that I really love, that made me grow and I can only say thank you to these two clubs. Maybe I could have gone to other clubs, but it was my heart that chose those clubs and I often follow my heart.”
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