BREAKING Paul Pogba set for Man united return after accepting terms with the new owners – He will play a major key role in man united team now
Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson and late super-agent Mino Raiola were both involved in a “train crash” interview over 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
That is according to football agent Rafaela Pimenta, who previously worked under the influential Raiola before the 54-year-old’s passing in 2022.
Pogba, who was once represented by Raiola, received his first-team United debut under Ferguson after making a name for himself in the club’s youth system.
During his first spell at Old Trafford, the midfielder played in three Premier League matches, three League Cup ties and a Europa League contest for United.
Pogba was initially promoted to United’s first team in 2011 ahead of an FA Cup fifth-round tie with Crawley Town, with Ferguson holding the Frenchman in high regard.
The 30-year-old ex-United midfielder, who didn’t feature against Crawley Town, left Old Trafford in 2012 and signed for Serie A side Juventus on a free transfer.
Pimenta on Ferguson vs Raiola argument
Ferguson was keen to keep hold of Pogba for the future, but the legendary former United manager had no love lost towards football agent Raiola.
Pimenta, who now manages the likes of Pogba and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, has now recalled a furious exchange between Ferguson and Raiola.
Speaking to The Guardian, she said: “I call it a train crash. It started bad, it ended bad.
“Sir Alex came in and he was so angry that he hit the table and our tea spilled everywhere. He was totally red. Mino was totally angry. It was a disaster.”
Pimenta on engineering Pogba’s return to United
Pogba, who has been provisionally suspended over a failed drugs test this season, made a name for himself at Juventus during his first spell in Italy.
The France international would be brought back to Old Trafford by Jose Mourinho in 2016 after United splashed out a then-world-record transfer fee of £89m.
United’s deal for Pogba eclipsed the whopping £85m fee that Real Madrid had paid to Tottenham for former Wales star Gareth Bale in 2013.
Pimenta revealed how she initially told Raiola to fix a fee for Pogba so they could break the then-world-record deal that Jonathan Barnett had put together for Bale.
She told the newspaper: “Transfer fees also keep going up. When Paul Pogba was transferred back to Manchester United [from Juventus in 2016] I said to Mino: ‘We need to fix the fee at Bale plus one euro.’
“Mino said: ‘Why?’ And I said: ‘So we can break the world record of Jonathan Barnett [the agent who negotiated Gareth Bale’s transfer from Spurs to Real Madrid for €100m]. It needs to be just €1 more than Bale.’ In the end it was more.”
Once tipped as a future Ballon d’Or winner, Pogba has endured a lacklustre second spell at Juventus and is now fighting to save his career after his failed drugs test.
