Manchester United fans have learned a shocking detail about Paul Pogba’s time at Old Trafford which would have impacted him heavily.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was handed an 18-month suspension from football after returning a positive test for elevated testosterone levels while at Juventus in August 2023.
The midfielder had rejoined the Serie A side in the summer of 2022 following his departure from United, but injuries and a lack of form overshadowed his second spell in Turin before the ban was issued.
Although he initially faced a potential four-year suspension, the penalty was reduced to 18 months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that his use of the prohibited substance was accidental.
His ban officially ended on 11 March, and after mutually parting ways with Juventus, Pogba signed for AS Monaco in the summer. He made his on-field comeback for the Ligue 1 club last month.
Fans learn shocking detail about Pogba’s time at United
When Pogba returned to United in the summer of 2016, it was a monumental transfer and one that many hoped would help lead the club back to glory.
While the midfielder had some brilliant performances and won two trophies with the club, his second-spell at Old Trafford did not go as planned.
There would be many reasons behind this but former United player and youth coach Nicky Butt has revealed how United placed more media demands on Pogba than any other player he has seen before.
Butt stated how he had ‘never seen any commercial like that’ in his life and fans have been stunned at how this was dealt with by United.
“When he came back, I met him a few times, really good lad,” Butt said on his podcast with Paul Scholes.
“I think the club made the rod for their own back with the signing. They built this monster, a commercial monster, and then didn’t like the fact he was getting too big.
“They set this big studio up, and it was like a three-day filming all his, ‘I’m back’, his adverts, which is obviously sponsored by Adidas, which was his boot sponsor and it was huge.
“I was thinking, ‘it’s a bit over the top.’ I know as a young player, and if you’re having a bad time, all you want to do is concentrate on football. Paul was the same. All you want to do is get in the training complex with the people that you’re comfortable with, and do what you’re good at.
“I also know he got dragged from pillar to post for commercial, all week, and I’m not meaning one day a week. I mean three, four days a week. I’ve never seen any commercial like that in my life.”
Commercial was king under Woodward
Unfortunately, these details about Pogba are not surprising. Ed Woodward was running things at Old Trafford then and the commercial side of things were always more important to him.
That is something the new leadership team at United need to avoid. There have been some question marks about the post-season tour earlier this year and reported friendlies planned mid-season.
But on the other hand, those are only being planned due to the financial situation the club has found itself in. When things are more settled, the commercial side of things should never supersede the football.
Pogba was a superstar when he came back to United, but he should have been looked after more and allowed to focus on what made him into that star in the first place.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.