Paul Pogba has opened up about his desire to leave Manchester United back in 2019, stating that he "didn't see the club going upwards."
In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport's Sami Mokbel, his first with a UK newspaper since his football ban was reduced, the French midfielder reflected on his time at Old Trafford. Pogba returned to the club in 2016 for a then-world record fee of £89 million but ultimately left for free in the summer of 2022.
Pogba described the 2018-19 season, when he was United's top scorer, as his best at the club. However, despite the optimism surrounding Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment following José Mourinho's departure, he still wanted to exit the club. “After the last game, I told Ole and Ed Woodward that I thought it was my last year and that I wanted to leave,” he revealed.
At the time, Pogba was 27 and expressed frustration at the club's inability to compete with rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool. He mentioned that while Solskjaer was supportive of his wish to leave, Woodward ultimately blocked the move. “My head was already set on leaving, but I returned for pre-season to be professional,” he said, acknowledging that his mental state was affected, which contributed to his injuries.
Pogba returned to Juventus but faced more difficulties, making only 12 appearances due to injury issues before facing a ban from football. In February, he received a four-year suspension after testing positive for testosterone following a match in August 2023. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport recently reduced his ban to 18 months, allowing him to resume training in January and return to play in March 2025.