PATRICE EVRA has sensationally claimed that Paul Pogba was only re-signed by Manchester United in an effort to HUMILIATE Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pogba, 31, was let go on a free by the Red Devils in 2012 during Ferguson‘s time in charge before he returned to the club under Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2016 for a colossal fee of £89million.
However, his return to Old Trafford did not go completely to plan as he was dogged by inconsistent displays amid the myriad of disasters played out by the club during his six-year second stint.
Pogba returned to Juventus for free in 2022, but is currently serving a four-year ban from football after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA last August – though it is under review following an appeal to CAS.
Compatriot Evra, who starred with Pogba at Juventus and in the French national team, believes his return to Manchester United was more of a commercial stunt rather than for footballing reasons.
Speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, he 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 Pérez 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.”
In his book, Leading, Ferguson said he and Pogba’s agent, the late Mino Raiola, mixed like “oil and water” and said he “distrusted him from the moment I met him”.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
The 73-year-old put this down as among the reasons Pogba left the Red Devils in 2012, with Pogba later saying he was “heartbroken” at the lack of trust shown in him by the Scot.
United great Evra continued: “It’s not about being a big fan of Paul Pogba, it’s about being his big brother. It’s about protecting him. I was harsh with him when I joined Juventus.
“One day, he said to the press, ‘I deserve to win the Ballon d’Or .’
“I was like, ‘Wait a minute, did you ever hear [Frank] Lampard saying that, did you ever hear [Andrés] Iniesta, Xavi or whatever?’ And, I’m like, ‘Calm down, you’re not ready for that.’
“With Paul, you see him like that, but inside, he’s not that strong and he’s protecting himself, and that’s why I tried to protect Paul, because sometimes it [the criticism of him] was unfair.
“People were talking more about his hairstyle or his dancing than judging him on the pitch. Even sometimes he wasn’t playing, they were saying, ‘United lost because of Paul Pogba’.”
One of the midfielder’s most outspoken critics during his second spell in England was Liverpool icon Graeme Souness.
However, Evra, 43, has insisted that Souness’ criticism did not come from a place of hate, but rather frustration.
MANCHESTER UNITED plan to build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford.
The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.
The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.
A capacity of 100,000 is expected.
It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.
The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils’ current home.
United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.
They plan to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a second venue.
They will scale it down to a 30,000-seater that can then be used for the women’s team and academy matches.
That would mean the history remains with statues and the Munich clock and memorial plaque all most likely staying in their current positions.
The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.
The target is for completion by 2030.
He added: “I had a good talk with Graeme Souness about Paul Pogba, and I asked him why he hated Pogba, but he told me that he didn’t.
“He found Pogba more frustrating, especially with his talent and quality.
“And that’s what I say to Paul. ‘Stop thinking people hate you. It’s because you frustrate them. You are an animal. When you run box to box, nobody can stop you’.”
Evra also revealed that Pogba felt “lost” tactically at United, while he laid specific blame for his failure to live up to the hype at the door of his entourage.
Evra said: “I feel like sometimes the press are not being fair with Paul Pogba. I can give you an example of when he played against Liverpool for the first time.
“The night before the game, I was on FaceTime to him, and I saw a lot of people in his room and he was signing shirts, so I asked him if he was ready for the game, and he said that he was.
“I remember that it was one of the worst games he played, so I spoke to him after the game, and he told me that I was right, and he wasn’t focused. But it was his entourage, his entourage let him down.”
Wayne Rooney, who was in the United squad with Pogba for the 2016/17 season, added how he believed the club did not support him enough.
The Plymouth boss said: “Bringing Paul Pogba back to Manchester United and the way the club announced it, they wanted the fanfare that came with it, but when Paul was doing his stuff, which was frustrating, the club didn’t protect him enough.”
Even the usually cynical Roy Keane admitted to being blinded by the Pogba hype at the time, but suggested maybe he lost some “hunger” when he signed his big contract.
MAN UTD TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest deals and rumours from Old Trafford
