Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed Paul Scholes used to "just kick through" his one-time colleague Paul Pogba in training.
Pogba had two spells with United, leaving for Juventus on both occasions. The first of those stints saw him train with title-winners including Ferdinand and Scholes, with the latter coming out of retirement during the 2011-12 season.
The French midfielder returned to Old Trafford in 2016, some years after Scholes' retirement. And Ferdinand, who won multiple trophies at club level with his ex-England team-mate, has defended the antics which took place towards the end of his own United stint.
"You know young lads when they come over, the managers do like to see them get kicked about,' Ferdinand told BT Sport. "Paul Pogba was a young, super gifted player; Scholesy [Paul Scholes], in particular used to just launch him. Whether he used to see him as a threat I dunno but he used to launch him, just kick him.
"He was so big and strong Paul and with that great footwork and everything and he would hold Scholesy off and Scholes would just kick through him and he'd lay on the floor and go like, "what's going on?" We just kept on playing, but that's part of it, it's character building."
Man Utd won the Premier League title in their first season after Pogba's 2012 exit, but they have failed to add another league trophy since. The Frenchman played a part in the club's most recent European trophy win in 2017, though they remain in contention to win this season's Europa League.
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Pogba's second spell at Juve has yet to get up and running, with a pre-season injury limiting his minutes. The 30-year-old also missed the World Cup thanks to the setback, but has made three appearances from the bench.
The most recent of those came on Thursday as Juve claimed a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP in the Europa League through Federico Gatti's goal. If the Bianconeri progress, they could face Manchester United in the semis if the English club manage to see off Sevilla.
United were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Spanish side, who also eliminated them from the competition in 2020. Marcel Sabitzer scored twice in the first half, but two late goals meant the game ended all-square.
Erik ten Hag's side also lost Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane to injury, and Martinez's season is now over. "“Not the way I imagined what's been a very special season would end, but sometimes we face obstacles along the way that we have to overcome to make us stronger and we learn from them," the former Ajax defender wrote on social media.
“I know that I'll be back very soon to go for more. In the meantime, I'll continue to support all my team-mates to achieve our objectives. The number of messages and support I've received has been amazing, they're giving me strength and encouragement at this moment. Many, many thanks to you all from the bottom of my heart.”
