Pogba, who is currently looking to revive his career at Monaco, left United on a second free transfer in 2022. It was during that second stint that his presence played a part in Donny van de Beek concluding it was time to leave. During a recent appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Pogba was asked how he would coach Mainu and seemed to hint that he should look for pastures new. It’s a kid. He’s still young. It’s difficult. That’s how he feels. If he feels that way, if the manager really believes in him, he’s going to get everything.”
“But I don’t know about his contract, because I think if he were to become a free agent, it would be a different story. But a kid like this, he thinks he can play, he thinks other people can play, and the manager pushes him and says, you can play on this team, why don’t you play? It brings it to this kid as well, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I should leave.’
Pogba admitted that “it probably wasn’t the right decision” given how much Maynou is valued at Old Trafford. The Frenchman concluded by saying he just wants the best for his players and is looking forward to watching them.
This is not the first time Pogba has played a role in convincing someone to abandon United plans. This comes after Van de Beek’s former agent Guido Albers admitted the World Cup winner was involved in his former client’s departure from United.
“I saw him disappointed in his treatment at Manchester United and he saw up close what I did to turn things around. But from the day he was not allowed to leave Manchester United again, it became final,” Albers told Votbar en Primeur.
“Donny received all the praise in the Netherlands, performed well and was hugely popular with the fans. He never played for Manchester United after that. His relationship with the club really cooled down.
“He had to compete with Paul Pogba, but he was late to training camp, said sorry and was allowed to play again – instead of the kid who had been training 10 hours a day for eight weeks to show he was good enough.
“At that moment, I had that disappointment thrown at me. I underestimated the effect not playing anymore would have on his psyche. I should have thought sooner, ‘How can I help him?’
Some can relate to Van de Beek’s frustration and why he felt left out by Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman spent time on loan at Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt before leaving Old Trafford permanently, joining Girona in 2024.
Mainu find themselves in a completely different situation given the homegrown talent that commands the trust of the majority of supporters. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Pogba from stepping in and offering advice that many fans hope the youngster will choose to ignore.
