Paul Pogba was ‘disliked’ by some of his Manchester United team-mates because they felt he exaggerated an injury during Solskjaer’s tenure and was happy not to push his recovery.
The club confirmed on Wednesday that the France international will leave the club this month upon the expiry of his six-year contract at Old Trafford.
It finally brings to an end Pogba’s second stint at the Theatre of Dreams and few fans will be sorry to see the back of him.
While undoubtedly talented, Pogba failed to reach his potential at the Theatre of Dreams and angled for transfers elsewhere on at least two occasions.
The first of which came under Jose Mourinho in 2018 and the second came under the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the following summer.
The Red Devils had just finished outside the top four and the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Lukaku and Ander Herrera were all being pushed out of the exit door.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Daniel James arrived but United’s future looked bleak and after a poor start to the season, Solskjaer’s pain was compounded when Pogba suffered an ankle injury.
The midfielder missed 28 games between September and December before returning for two matches, only to undergo surgery on the ankle in January.
Solskjaer said after a New Year’s Day defeat to Arsenal that Pogba’s ‘people’ had advised him to have the operation and the Times claim that some of his team-mates held it against him that he did not push himself to recover quicker.
Pogba’s mood in the second half of the campaign – which was delayed because of the break forced on the Premier League by the pandemic – was in huge contrast to his outlook during the first.
United signed Bruno Fernandes that January and that coincided with a huge uptick in the club’s form. Pogba enjoyed an injury-free end to the campaign and spoke about wanting to sign a new deal.
