Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has finally opened up about why he wanted to leave the club.
Pogba came through the ranks at United but made just three first-team appearances as a youngster before moving to Juventus in 2012.
He impressed during his time in Turin, which earned an £89.3m move back to United in 2016 – a record transfer fee for the club.
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However, despite his obvious talent and glimpses of class, Pogba failed to justify his record price tag.
The 31-year-old won the FA Cup and Europa League during his second stint at the Red Devils but could not help them challenge for a Premier League title.
The 2018 World Cup winner returned to Juventus in 2022, but a meniscus injury in his first month at the Italian giants meant he made just eight Serie A appearances between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
Pogba is currently serving an 18-month ban - reduced from four years on appeal - for failing a doping test after a match against Udinese in September 2023.
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The Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his ingestion of a banned substance "was not intentional”.
Pogba discussed several topics in an interview with Daily Mail on Wednesday evening revealing the reason he wanted to leave United in 2018 despite, by his own admission, being his “best season at United”.
“I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone,” Pogba said.
“The year Jose [Mourinho] went and Ole [Gunnar Solskjær] came, it was my best season at United but after the last game, I told Ole and (then CEO) Ed Woodward that I thought it was my last year and that I wanted to leave.”
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Mourinho was replaced by Solskjær in 2018, initially, the Norwegian was caretaker manager but was appointed United boss permanently in March 2019 after winning 14 out of 19 matches in charge of the side.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Pogba scored 13 goals and provided nine assists in 35 Premier League appearances.
“I was 27, it didn’t work out the way I wanted,” he added.
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“I gave my best but didn’t see the club going upwards. I wanted to go but I came back for pre-season because I wanted to be professional.
“I spoke to Ed to make a move but he blocked it. I didn’t want to play for United any more but I had to be professional. Mentally I wasn’t there, and then I got the injuries.”
The midfielder is contracted to Juve until the end of the 2025-26 season, but his future is still unclear.
By the time Pogba is free to play in March 2025, he will turn 32 years old in the same month.
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In another interview, with Sky Sports, he was asked about his future plans but seemed unsure of his next steps when questioned if he could see himself playing in the Premier League again.
"First of all, I am at Juventus under contract,” he explained.
“I will see what they are thinking and the vision. My vision is to show I am a footballer. A new Paul Pogba with the same qualities. I am still ready."
Topics: Manchester United, Paul Pogba, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Juventus, Premier League
Luke Davies