Paul Pogba reveals that Man Utd 'blocked' his exit in 2019
- Pogba told Man Utd's hierarchy that he 'wanted to leave' three years before he actually did
- The 2018 world champion had just enjoyed the best season of his career at Old Trafford
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was willing to sanction a sale which the club blocked
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has revealed that he "wanted to leave" the Premier League club in the summer of 2019, three years before he eventually returned to Juventus.
The French World Cup winner spent three years in United's youth system before coming back to Old Trafford as the most expensive player on the planet in 2016. Pogba struggled to live up to unrealistic expectations during his second spell at United, but a rare burst of sustained fitness underpinned his impressive performances in the 2018/19 campaign.
Jose Mourinho, who had a strained relationship with Pogba throughout their shared time in Manchester, was replaced in mid-season by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The former United forward shifted the talented Frenchman into a more advanced position, giving him the scope to record 13 Premier League goals and nine assists - comfortably the most prolific campaign of his English career.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Pogba revealed for the first time that he went to the club's chief executive Ed Woodward in search of a transfer. "The year Jose went and Ole came, it was my best season at United but 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 said.
Despite Pogba's best efforts, United finished a lowly sixth that season, more than 30 points adrift of the league's leading duo, Manchester City and Liverpool.
"I was 27 back then," Pogba wistfully remembered, "it didn't work out the way I wanted. I gave my best but I didn't see the club going upwards. Manchester City and Liverpool were better than us and they were improving. Ole said yes [to me leaving] and that he would talk to Ed. My head was already that I wanted to go but I came back for pre-season because I wanted to be professional.
"I spoke to Ed to try to make a move but he blocked it. I didn't want to play for United anymore but I had to be professional. Mentally I wasn't there and then I got the injuries."
Pogba started the new campaign with two assists in a 4-0 victory over Chelsea before sustaining an ankle issue in September which would plague the rest of his season. Fitness issues have derailed the midfielder's subsequent career, following him when he eventually left United to join Juventus on a free transfer in 2022.
The 31-year-old was handed by a four-year doping ban in August 2023 which was subsequently reduced to 18 months on appeal. Pogba will be able to get back on the pitch for Juventus in March 2025, but is reportedly looking for another move away.
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