Graeme Souness doesn’t actually hate Paul Pogba, according to former Manchester United star Patrice Evra.
Throughout Pogba’s second tenure at Old Trafford, ex-Sky Sports pundit Souness didn’t hesitate to brutally criticise the Frenchman on TV. His frequent and intense criticism of Pogba became a recurring joke on social media, with fans convinced the Scot had an irrational hatred of the midfielder.
However, according to Evra, Souness doesn’t harbour any resentment towards the French World Cup champion. “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,” the former left back explained on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet.
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“He found Pogba more frustrating, especially considering 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’.”
Pogba started his senior career at Old Trafford, but moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 after struggling to secure a place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team. In Turin, he won four consecutive Serie A titles and quickly caught the eye of some of Europe’s top clubs.
United won the race for his signature in 2016, re-signing him for a then-world record £89million fee. However, his second stint in Manchester was a largely underwhelming one.
Pogba was inconsistent, and failed to live up to his hefty price tag. Despite occasional moments of brilliance, his top-tier performances were sporadic, attracting criticism from pundits such as Souness.
In 2022, he returned to Juventus, leaving United on a free transfer for the second time. During his two stints with the Red Devils, he made 233 appearances and netted 39 goals.
His return to Italy has been nothing short of disastrous. A series of injuries limited him to just 10 appearances in his first season with Juventus, and in his second season, he received a four-year ban after failing a doping test.
Evra, who was Pogba’s team-mate at both United and Juventus, says he quickly assumed the role of Pogba’s protective older brother after joining him in Turin in 2014. “It’s not about being a big fan of Paul Pogba, it’s about being his big brother. It’s about protecting him. I was harsh with him when I joined Juventus,” Evra said.
He added: “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 [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi or whatever?’ And, I’m like, ‘calm down, you’re not ready for that’.”
Pogba is understood to disagree with and reject Evra’s version of numerous events – including the claim about deserving the Ballon d’Or – mentioned during his appearance on The Overlap.
Evra also claimed that United only re-signed Pogba to “humiliate” Ferguson, who had allowed him to leave the club four years prior. “Manchester United brought Paul Pogba back because they wanted to humiliate Sir Alex Ferguson,” the Frenchman said.
“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. 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.”
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