Bruno Fernandes reflects on Paul Pogba’s second spell at Manchester United, which ended in regret for many reasons.
After coming through the Manchester United academy and winning the FA Youth Cup in 2011, Paul Pogba controversially left the club in 2012 after becoming frustrated with the lack of first-team opportunities.
It was reported at the time that Sir Alex Ferguson had clashed with Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, who engineered a move to Juventus.
Pogba enjoyed a successful spell at Juventus, where he was recognised as one of the most exciting midfield prospects in Europe.
Did Manchester United make a mistake signing Paul Pogba in 2016?
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The France international returned to United in a then-world-record £89.3 million transfer in 2016. It started brightly, but his relationship with Jose Mourinho would turn toxic, and his performances weren’t consistent.
Despite returning to Juventus in 2022, Pogba is currently playing for Monaco in Ligue 1. His second spell at Old Trafford remains a controversial topic among United fans.
Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba training for Manchester United
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes claims Man Utd didn’t get the best of Paul Pogba
It is no secret that Pogba’s time at United was a major disappointment, despite winning the Europa League and Carabao Cup during his second spell at the club.
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Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, current United captain Bruno Fernandes gave his verdict on Pogba’s time at the club, having shared the dressing room with him following a transfer from Sporting CP.
Fernandes stressed that everyone at United ‘regrets’ not seeing the best of Pogba.
“Let me think about another midfielder,” Fernandes said.
“I will I will put one that I think everyone has regrets of not seeing the best of him. That is Pogba. I need to put him there.I’ve seen the best of him because I played against him in Italy.”
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand then asked what made Pogba so special.
Fernandes replied: “He has everything. He could He could do everything as a midfielder. He could run, he could recover balls, he could score goals, he could give assists, he could head the ball, he could win duels, do everything.
“He’s the most complete uh midfielder that I’ve I’ve seen for a long long time that could do all these things. Unfortunately, I’ve just seen it that at at Juve and I couldn’t seen as often here at the club because of injuries of many other things.”
Where did it all go wrong for Paul Pogba at Manchester United?
On his day, Paul Pogba was an absolute class act!
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Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba stats
Fernandes and Pogba played together for United between January 2020 until Pogba’s second departure in June 2022.
They played together 79 times across all competitions, and Pogba once provided two assists for a Fernandes hat-trick against Leeds in August 2021.
It’s interesting to hear Fernandes reflect positively on a player deemed unpopular among United fans, but they spent a lot of time together on the pitch.
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