Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra believes Paul Pogba was brought back to Old Trafford in 2016 to humiliate Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pogba came through United's academy after signing for the club as a 16-year-old and appeared set to be a star of the future, but he left on a free transfer to join Italian giants Juventus in 2012 after failing to convince Ferguson that he deserved more game time.
Ferguson retired the following year, while Pogba established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe, winning four Serie A titles with Juventus before moving back to United for a then-Premier League record transfer fee of £89m.
Pogba's return was met with excitement from many United fans, but Evra has admitted he was never convinced the club's owners, the Glazers, were signing him for the right reasons, and even urged his fellow Frenchman to join Real Madrid instead.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Evra said: 'Manchester United brought Paul Pogba back because they wanted to humiliate Sir Alex Ferguson. I told Paul to not go back because he wanted Real Madrid and Madrid wanted him, but Florentino Pérez didn’t want to pay the money.
Paul Pogba re-signed for Man United for a Premier League record fee of £89m in 2016
He returned to United just four years after Sir Alex Ferguson allowed him to leave for free
Patrice Evra has claimed United's owners including Avram Glazer (centre) re-signed Pogba to 'humiliate Sir Alex Ferguson'
Evra admitted he tried to convince Pogba to sign for Real Madrid instead
'His agent called United, and he signed with him without telling me. The club was happy because they were selling shirts, you know the kids love Pogba – it was more commercial than anything on the pitch.'
Evra spent over eight years at United between 2006 and 2014, while he also knew Pogba from their time together at Juventus.
Pogba was regularly criticised for his performances on the pitch and his actions off it during his second spell at United, but Evra revealed why he often felt the need to stand up for his former team-mate, and explained who he felt should take the blame for Pogba's behaviour.
'It’s not about being a big fan of Paul Pogba, it’s about being his big brother,' Evra added. 'It’s about protecting him. I was harsh with him when I joined Juventus.
'One day, he said to the press, "I deserve to win the Ballon d’Or". I was like, "Wait a minute, did you ever hear [Frank] Lampard saying that, did you ever hear [Andrés] Iniesta, Xavi or whatever?" And, I’m like, "Calm down, you’re not ready for that".
'With Paul, you see him like that, but inside, he’s not that strong and he’s protecting himself, and that’s why I tried to protect Paul, because sometimes it [the criticism of him] was unfair. People were talking more about his hairstyle or his dancing than judging him on the pitch. Even sometimes he wasn’t playing, they were saying, "United lost because of Paul Pogba".
'I feel like sometimes the press are not being fair with Paul Pogba. I can give you an example of when he played against Liverpool for the first time.
Evra claimed he tried to protect Pogba but his fellow Frenchman's entourage let him down
Graeme Souness was one of Pogba's biggest critics, but Evra has defended him, insisting he did not hate the midfielder
'The night before the game, I was on FaceTime to him, and I saw a lot of people in his room and he was signing shirts, so I asked him if he was ready for the game, and he said that he was.
'I remember that it was one of the worst games he played, so I spoke to him after the game, and he told me that I was right, and he wasn’t focused. But it was his entourage, his entourage let him down.'
After paying such an eye-watering fee for Pogba, much was expected of the talented midfielder.
But he struggled to deliver on a consistent basis in his six-year spell before leaving once more to join Juventus on a free transfer again in 2022.
Graeme Souness was one of Pogba's fiercest critics, with some fans arguing he overstepped the mark at times, but Evra defended the outspoken pundit and instead conceded that too much was asked of Pogba, causing him to be 'exposed'.
'I had a good talk with Graeme Souness about Paul Pogba, and I asked him why he hated Pogba, but he told me that he didn’t,' Evra revealed.
Evra feels too much was asked of Pogba, meaning he became 'exposed' at United
'He found Pogba more frustrating, especially with his talent and quality. And that’s what I say to Paul. "Stop thinking people hate you. It’s because you frustrate them. You are an animal. When you run box to box, nobody can stop you".
'In his first season back at Manchester United, Paul Pogba didn’t do badly, but they were expecting him to score 25 goals every season.
'He felt lost in his position as he was the one needing to cover for the other midfielders, so he got exposed when he went back to United.'
Patrice Evra was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.