Pogba accuses Man United and Ferguson of 'disrespect'

FORMER Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has launched a scathing attack on the club, accusing it of showing him "disrespect" during his time at Old Trafford. The 21-year-old Pogba left United for Juventus in the summer of 2012 after negotiations on a contract extension broke down, and at the time then manager Alex Ferguson said he was "happy" to see the back of the youngster.

Two years later Pogba has used an interview with the BBC's World Football Focus to accuse Ferguson of making him train on his own during his final weeks at the club. "They left me out because they said I wanted to leave. That is disrespect," said Pogba. "I was training alone for one week. They told me to go in the gym. I said 'I am not an athlete, I am a footballer'... maybe they didn't think if they were making a mistake."

Singling out Ferguson in particular, Pogba said: "I don't think he showed us any respect at all."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Pogba, who joined United in 2009 from French club Le Havre, made just seven appearances as a substitute during his time at Old Trafford before heading to Italy in July 2012, a move he says was motivated not by money but a desire for game time. "Manchester United is a big club but you have to think about yourself," explained Pogba. "You have to play. The coach told me there would be space to play, but I wasn't playing."

Though Pogba wasn't able to inspire Juventus to success against Benfica in Thursday night's Europa League semi-final, the Italians are on the brink of sealing a second consecutive Serie A title and he is expected to star for France in this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

He is also being linked with a move from Juventus in the near future with Paris Saint-Germain rumoured to have offered the Italian outfit £40m for his services. But according to a report in Thursday's Manchester Evening News, Manchester City are planning an audacious attempt to lure Pogba to the Etihad.

The paper says the Sky Blues will use Aleksandar Kolarov or Edin Dzeko "as bait to tempt Juventus" into selling the Frenchman. As well as allowing Juventus to take their pick from Kolarov and Dzeko, City will also offer £30m for Pogba in a deal they are confident will be accepted by Juventus.