Paul Pogba's agent responds to Sir Alex Ferguson's comments

Pogba could have renewed his contract for one more year at United

Mino Raiola, the agent of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, has hit back at Sir Alex Ferguson over recent comments that the former Manchester United manager made in his latest book.

‘’I distrusted him from the moment I met him,” Ferguson said in his newly-published book, 'Leading', and wrote that he never trusted Mino and inferred that the Dutchman was to blame for orchestrating Pogba's departure for Juventus when United "were eager to sign" a one-year renewal for the French youngster.

Pogba left United in the summer of 2012, frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities, and left the Red Devils disappointed, by joining the Old Lady on a free transfer. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the highest valued footballers on the planet.

"There are one or two football agents I simply do not like. And Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba's agent, is one of them," said Ferguson.

“We had Paul under a three-year contract, and it had a one-year renewal option which we were eager to sign. But Raiola suddenly appeared on the scene and our first meeting was a fiasco.”

‘He and I were like oil and water. From then on, our goose was cooked because Raiola had been able to ingratiate himself with Paul and his family and the player signed with Juventus," added Ferguson.

Ferguson did not believe in Pogba, claims agent

However, Raiola went on to dismiss Ferguson’s claims and responded, claiming that he considers the feeling of dislike as more of a compliment than an insult.

Speaking to Tuttosport via The Express, he claimed, "I understood how he chose his players, and it was nothing to do with their qualities. It was down to how much he liked their agents."

“Those words don't describe my job in a negative way. I rate them as a proof that I work well. I have to do my best for my players' sake.”

“If Mr Ferguson doesn’t like me, for me that’s a compliment, it means I’m doing my job well. I have to do the best for my clients, not coaches and staff.”

“If I was looking after my own interests, I’d have tried to convince Pogba to stay in Manchester, to safeguard the relationship with United for future business.”

“But I put Pogba's interests first, and we decided to go to Turin. Maybe Ferguson only likes those who obey him. I, however, was only interested in Paul’s good, I don’t think Ferguson wanted what was best for Pogba.

“He was a great manager, but even the great managers make mistakes. Ferguson did not believe in the player, Juventus did,” said Raiola, who is also the agent for players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Balotelli and Romelu Lukaku.

From Pogba’s point of view, the move has worked out perfectly with the midfielder going from height to height, with some of Europe’s top-most clubs lining up for his signature, and the agent cannot be criticised for getting the youngster out of Manchester when chances were getting hard to come by.

United at the moment, have finally dealt with their Pogba sized hole in mid-field with the signings of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, but letting the precocious Frenchman go, and not integrating a promising youth prospect into the team will rankle as one of the biggest mistakes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s illustrious career.