Manchester United legend Bryan Robson believes Paul Pogba struggled at Old Trafford because he “forgot about football” and cared more about his social media presence. The midfielder joined the Red Devils from Juventus for a then-world record fee of £89 million (€105m/$120m) in 2016 but found it difficult to live up to the fanfare which surrounded his eye-catching return to the Theatre of Dreams.
Pogba was often accused of being distracted at United
Pogba, who emerged through United’s youth system in 2011-12 before spending four trophy-laden years with Juventus, helped the club capture both the Europa League and the Carabao Cup in the 2016-17 season under then-manager Jose Mourinho. However, the France international was often accused of being distracted during his time at United, with both he and former team-mate Jesse Lingard coming under fire for their goal celebrations. Pogba also received regular criticism for his hairstyle choices at United.
AdvertisementAFPUnited icon Robson the latest to claim Pogba took eye off the ball
And now United icon Robson, who scored 100 goals in 465 appearances during his 13-year stay at the club, is the latest person to claim Pogba, now of Ligue 1 side Monaco, took his eye off the ball in Manchester.
What Robson had to say about Pogba's time at United
Speaking to OLBG, Robson said: “Paul Pogba had unbelievable talent, a great presence and he could score a goal. But for me, after a few years of real success at Man Utd, he and a few of the other lads got caught up with all the social media and forgot about football and how hard you've got to work.
“What they forgot was that they were getting all the money because they were great players and then they dipped off because it was all about clothes and image and dancing in the dressing room. I don't think there would have been dancing in the dressing room if I'd been captain at that time!”
Pogba received 18-month doping ban at Juventus
After scoring 39 goals in 226 appearances for United, Pogba ended his six-year spell at United by returning to Juventus in 2022. He endured a difficult second period with the Italian giants, first struggling with a knee injury before receiving a four-year ban for a doping offence. The ban was later reduced to 18 months in October 2024 following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Pogba then reached an agreement to leave Juventus in November 2024 and joined Monaco on a free transfer in June after returning to football following his doping suspension.
