Andrea Pirlo has revealed that he and his Juventus teammates couldn’t believe that Manchester United had allowed Paul Pogba to leave the club when he arrived in Turin.
The French midfielder was allowed to leave Old Trafford 2012, moving to Juventus—astonishingly—on a free transfer, after failing to agree terms on a new contract with United.
The Red Devils have struggled for authority in the heart of the park in recent seasons, with the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger never truly demonstrating that they can help Louis van Gaal’s side take control of contests on a regular basis, and it’s remarkable that United let such a complete midfielder slip through their fingers.
Speaking to the Mirror, Pirlo—who spent two years playing alongside Pogba at Juventus—has revealed how surprised he and his teammates were at having pulled off the signing of the former Le Havre powerhouse.
“I have played with some great young players, but Pogba was the best young player I have ever seen,” the playmaker began.
“We saw from his first training session with Juventus that he was special. There was a disbelief among the senior players that Manchester United had allowed him to leave,” Pirlo continued.
“Since then he has grown physically and as a player. For me he is now the most complete central midfield player in the world.”
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