Paul Pogba has revealed why he chose not to celebrate as much as his teammates after Man Utd completed their shock turnaround against Juventus on Wednesday night.
After Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead in Turin, it appeared as though they were on course to follow up their win at Old Trafford and advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
However, United had other ideas as two dramatic late goals turned the game on its head, with Pogba involved in the melee that led to the winning goal to seal the turnaround.
Given his history with the Bianconeri though having spent four successful seasons with the Italian giants, making 178 appearances while winning eight trophies, he clearly still holds them close to his heart and didn’t feel particularly comfortable with celebrating too hard.
“I didn’t celebrate when we went 2-1 up, it felt too strange. I saw so many people that I know well. We played against a great team and we really had to win,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
“It was wonderful coming back here, although it felt weird going into the ‘away’ locker room. I was so accustomed to the Juve one.
“The reaction of the fans really moved me, as I missed them and Italian football. It was great to be back in this stadium, where I started out and won big trophies.”
With United seemingly now getting back on track and picking up wins regularly, it will undoubtedly lift the mood at Old Trafford and will surely be in stark contrast to the one earlier this season with Pogba openly conceding that he wasn’t entirely happy, as noted by The Guardian.
While he may speak fondly of Juventus and Italian football, it’s another thing entirely to suggest that he could move back. Time will reveal if that happens, but for now, Jose Mourinho will be eager to see him play a key role in continuing their recent form which has seen them win their last three games on the bounce.
