Paul Pogba has told the story of how he and teammate Ravel Morrison nearly came to blows after a heated spat.
The pair played in the same United youth team that won the FA Youth Cup back in 2011 and they remain good mates nine years on.
But in Pogba's early days in his first spell in Manchester the two weren't far off from fighting one another after a couple of tasty challenges in training.
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Morrison kicked Pogba first and then the Frenchman, who couldn't speak any English at the time, decided to get his revenge. They, did, however, make up very quickly when they left the pitch.
Speaking on United's podcast, Pogba said: "So I was training and obviously everyone knows how good Rav is with the ball.
"He was dribbling [past] players. I took the ball from him and he got angry a bit and kicked me.
"I couldn't speak English so I looked at him and [thought] "that's okay, I'll wait until you get the ball" [laughs]. I smashed him. 'He started talking to me in English and I responded in French.
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"You know, 'Okay we will see after in the changing room. Okay, no problem. I'm not scared of you'. 'After, he came to me and hugged, you know, and, since then, we're very close.
"It's a strange story and funny but that happens a lot in football and now we're very good friends."
So many high-calibre people connected to United view Morrison as the very best they have seen in the academy, including Pogba, and the one and only Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Writing in his book 'Leading', Fergie expressed sadness at Morrison's failure to succeed at United was and put it down to his frequent problems off the pitch.
"Sadly, there are examples of players who have similar backgrounds to Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite enormous talent, just aren't emotionally or mentally strong enough to overcome the hurts of their childhood and their inner demons," the legendary United manager writes.
"Ravel Morrison might be the saddest case. He possessed as much natural talent as any youngster we ever signed, but kept getting into trouble.
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"It was very painful to sell him to West Ham in 2012 because he could have been a fantastic player. But, over a period of years, the problems off the pitch continued to escalate and we had little option but to cut the cord."
Morrison and Pogba would both leave United in quick succession after minimal first-team appearances, though the latter returned in an £89 million move in 2016.
After spells with West Ham United, Birmingham City, QPR (twice), Cardiff City, Lazio, Mexican outfit Atlas and Ostersunds, Morrison signed with high-flying Sheffield United in the summer but has struggled to break into Chris Wilder's side.
Topics: Paul Pogba, Football News, Football, Manchester United, Ravel Morrison
