Scholes reveals he was ‘half the reason’ Man Utd sensation left club in 2012
Paul Scholes claims he’s “half the reason” Paul Pogba left Manchester United for Juventus in 2012.
Pogba left United for the Serie A side on a free transfer after graduating from the Red Devils academy and making just seven substitute appearances for the first team.
He was expected to sign long-term contract with United, who saw him as a bright prospect for the future not unlike JJ Gabriel, but his agent turned down deals as a result of what Scholes now claims was him blocking his path to the first team.
Scholes had retired from football in the summer of 2011 but was persuaded to return by Sir Alex Ferguson just six months later, and played on until the summer of 2013 having secured an 11th Premier League title.
In the latest episode of The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes told guest Luke Littler how he was “partly responsible” for Pogba’s exit from Old Trafford.
After darts sensation Littler named Pogba in his all-time United XI, Scholes replied: “Ah Pogba, yeah, good shout!
“Do you know what? I was half the reason he left the first time.
“I retired when I was 36 and then I came back, and Paul [Pogba] was just coming through.
“So I think he expected to play because I came back and in January we had no midfielders left, we were playing Rafael da Silva and Phil Jones in central midfield.
“Paul was the next kid coming up, he was 17, I was training against him every day, and he thought he should have been playing.
“I came back and started playing every week and then his agent turned down deals and stuff and that’s why he left I think. So I’m partly responsible!”
Pogback
Pogba spent four years in Italy with Juventus, winning the Serie A title in each of those seasons while becoming one of the best midfielders in Europe, before United paid a club-record £89m fee to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016.
The Frenchman went on to make over 200 further appearances for the Red Devils, contributing 39 goals and 51 assists, but was frequently criticised for his performances by the Man Utd old guard; not least Scholes himself.
READ NEXT: Man Utd will miss out on Elliot Anderson again as Real Madrid come calling
