In a recent statement, Paul Pogba shared that he believed his best season at Manchester United came after the departure of Jose Mourinho.
Pogba admitted that he had wanted to leave Old Trafford long before eventually joining Juventus in 2022.
Despite initially departing for Juventus in 2012, Pogba returned to United four years later.
However, his second stint at the club was plagued by injuries and ongoing speculation about a potential transfer to Real Madrid.
Pogba expressed his desire to leave after a successful 2018-19 season in which he scored 16 goals in 47 games.
Although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was willing to let Pogba go following Mourinho’s departure, Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman at the time, prevented the move from happening.
“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,” Pogba said.
“I was 27 back then, 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.”
