Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta has admitted her client is partly responsible for his own and United’s failures in his time at the club.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, Pimenta said Pogba was a victim of the ‘transition phase’ the club was going through and is still experiencing post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
On why Pogba did not reach the heights expected of him at Old Trafford, Pimenta told Telegraph Sport: “I would say, what happened, not just with Paul? Did Paul fail Manchester United or did Manchester United fail Paul? Or did they fail each other? These are good questions.”
“Now I think Manchester United is going through a transition phase. It is not easy for a club that comes with the history that they come with Ferguson. Of course, this story dwarfs any achievements that come after.”
“There was such an important presence in the club before, that was built around him, when you lose that figure, then a club needs time to restructure itself. Manchester United is going through a restructuring phase and I think Paul was part of that phase.”
Pimenta added that the Red Devils are still in the midst of that phase, something his client was once firmly at the center of.
On what motivated the World Cup winner to return to United after a successful first spell with Juventus, Pimenta stressed that the decision was based on emotion and that the player felt like he was coming home.
For her part, she insisted they had no regrets and, in hindsight, it was still the right decision to return to England with United.
She noted that there was an expectation for bigger trophies when the 20-time English champions spent big money on the Frenchman.
Pimenta said that for this, Pogba must recognize his shortcomings and assume co-responsibility with the club. They both failed each other in certain ways.
However, he felt that Pogba’s failure to achieve success for United could be attributed to his personal struggles. Recently, the 29-year-old has been plagued with personal and legal problems over extortion claims directed at him and directed by his older brother, Mathias Pogba.
The club must learn from the mistakes of Pogba’s transfer and his time at Old Trafford so that they are not repeated in the future.
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