When two players share the same agent, it seems only natural for them to have a few chats here and there, but when the pair also share the same age and have similar interests, a friendship is bound to blossom.
Both fans of basketball, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku were spotted enjoying a pick-up game or two together while on holiday in the United States over the summer.
Around the same time, the former Juventus player was in the middle of one the most hyped football transfers in history. The Everton striker witnessed it in its entirety, and revealed he was with Pogba when the midfielder signed his contract with the Red Devils.
Speaking to Sport/Foot Magazine in Belgium, Lukaku was also keen to dismiss any perception José Mourinho’s new star was an arrogant person.
He said: “He’s anything but that. A lot of things are said about him, but I was there at the hotel when he signed for United. There were maybe ten people surrounding him with briefcases and contracts inside.
“When everything was signed, and I’ve known Paul for many years, I’ve never seen him with that look on his face. I’d never seen him so happy. This return to United, it had nothing to do with money.
“It was a relief, a real happiness for him. We only spoke once about football during our holidays this summer, when we were at a pool in LA, and he was telling me about his dream to return to United. That’s when I understood what it meant.”
With Adidas adverts, Stormzy features, #Pogback hashtags and Mino Raiola’s bla bla bla, few outside of the United fanbase believed Pogba when he said returning to Manchester United was what he’d always wanted and the club was his home.
Then again, they hadn’t heard Lukaku’s version of the events.
