Paul Pogba’s downfall may make him quite the forgotten man at this stage, but that can’t lessen the size of his move to Manchester United back in 2016.
The Red Devils broke football’s transfer record when paying sending €105m to Juventus, after he’d become a huge star playing in Turin.
As former Bianconeri director Beppe Marotta this week spoke to the Italian media, he was asked about the hardest negotiation he’s been through. Quoted by Alfredo Pedulla, he chose that one with Manchester United.
“Pogba. Long and onerous, it lasted three days straight, locked in a hotel with the Manchester United executives,” said Marotta.
“At the same time we got Higuain, but we had to sell Pogba first because I couldn’t get him without first selling Paul. I had asked Agnelli for permission to proceed, it was a bit risky. Gonzalo could have gone to Barcelona.”
Paul Pogba had ups and downs in his second spell at Manchester United. In those five years at Old Trafford, he had 226 appearances, with 39 goals and 51 assists, having left the club at the end of his contract in the summer of 2022.
His return to Juventus ended up being a disaster, though. Due to knee injuries, he only made ten appearances in his first season. And after two games this season, he was taking out of the game due to a failed doping test, and now waits to see how long he’ll be sidelined for.
