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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

'I was quite surprised' - Paul Pogba opens up on exit from Manchester United with honest verdict

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba left Manchester United last year because he did not feel 'love' from supporters or the club.

Pogba re-signed for United in August 2016 for a then-world-record fee of £89million, but he failed to produce consistent performances during his second stint at Old Trafford and he left on a free transfer last summer.

The Frenchman joined Juventus again, who he joined in 2012 when initially leaving United, although his first season back in Turin was scuppered by injuries, which limited him to making just a single start in Serie A.

Pogba was forced to have knee surgery at the start of the season and he ended the campaign with a hamstring problem.

ALSO READ: David de Gea increasingly likely to leave Man United

It's been a tumultuous year for Pogba and he recently sat down with French outlet Views to reflect on the last 12 months.

In a candid interview, Pogba discussed his exit from United and explained that he didn't feel love from supporters or the club during his second stint in Manchester, which made him decide his future was elsewhere.

"When I left Manchester, I was young. And when you're young, you want to prove something. I came to Juve, to a fairly young Italian club, it was a big test for me. But I immediately saw the love of the supporters," Pogba said.

"I saw the love of the club. I really liked how they worked and learned a lot. I went back to Manchester because I hadn't finished my work there. I said to myself 'I really want to play with the A's [the first team]'. I did it and it was a goal achieved for me.

"We have already won, not the Premier League, but titles that Manchester have not won for a long time. And I came back to Juve, why? Because it's really the club that helped me push myself.

"And really the love from the fans, the love from the club that I get, I didn't get that in Manchester. I was quite surprised when I came back to England, already with the transfer I was given a label. It was quite sad.

"But it's two clubs that I really love, that made me grow and I can only say thank you to these two clubs. Maybe I could have gone to other clubs, but it was my heart that chose those clubs and I often follow my heart."

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