Paul Pogba has reacted to Nemanja Matic's astonishing claim that he was 'always late' to training

Paul Pogba's reaction to Nemanja Matic’s claim that he was always late to Manchester United training has been revealed.

Last week Matic, who left United in May 2022 after a five-year spell at Old Trafford, admitted he had been part of an "internal disciplinary committee" at his old club to raise standards on and off the pitch.

The 35-year-old, now playing for French side Rennes, picked out Pogba and Jadon Sancho as two big-name players who would frequently be fined for being late.

Speaking to Austrian outlet YuPlanet Matic said: "At Chelsea, players acted professionally. They were punctual and were never late for training. But at United, it happened almost every day.

"Among the players who would always be late were Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho, and a couple of other players. The rest of us who were always on time were angry so we decided to form a kind of an internal disciplinary committee with me serving as its president.

"I put a sheet of paper up on the wall where I documented the names of individuals arriving late. During one particular season, we collected around £75,000 in fines. We had planned to use the money to throw a party in London but we didn't due to the Covid outbreak."

According to the Mail Online, Matic’s comments have “hurt” Pogba, who believed the Serbian was “a friend”.

The publication’s “Carrington sources” claim the Frenchman, who cost United a club record £89million in 2016, was only late to training on two occasions.

Childcare issues were said to be behind both times Pogba was late. He was reportedly fined and paid the penalty with no complaints.

Moreover, the Mail has added that the claim he was always late has “stung”.

Pogba left United two summers ago to rejoin Juventus, where he built his reputation as one of the world’s most prominent young talents in his first spell between 2012 and 2016.

Since returning, however, he has struggled with injuries and is facing allegations of doping, which he vehemently denies.

Topics: Football, Paul Pogba, Manchester United, Nemanja Matic

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.