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Football

12th May 2019

Paul Pogba responds to verbal abuse from Manchester United fans after defeat to Cardiff

Wayne Farry

The chances of Paul Pogba being at Old Trafford next season look slim

A couple of months ago – during the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure as Manchester United interim manager – Paul Pogba could do no wrong.

The French midfielder was scoring goals, providing assists and generally pulling the strings for Manchester United in a way that fans had hoped he would since he rejoined the club from Juventus.

Fast forward to the final day of the Premier League season and that version of Pogba seems as far away as ever. Manchester United ended the season with a crawl, failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League and failing to win even one of their last five league matches.

The final game of their campaign came at home to already relegated Cardiff City, who came to Old Trafford with just pride to play for and left the stadium with a 2-0 win and the scalp of a once great English club.

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After the game, there was understandable anger from the fans as players and staffed completed the traditional end-of-season farewell ceremony.

A video posted online towards the end of that ceremony shows Pogba standing on the pitch near some furious fans, who were shouting and verbal abusing the player.

One supporter can be heard shouting at the midfielder, telling him to “fuck off” and saying “fucking Instagram”.

They added: “You’re fucking shit. You’re fucking shit. Fuck off.”

Pogba does not respond verbally – at least anything he said could not be picked up by the video – but he can be seen facing the man with a bemused look on his face. As he departs the pitch he can also be seen sarcastically waving at the fan and pointing his finger at him.

While the fans cannot be condoned for their behaviour, Pogba’s demeanour was not one of a man who expects or wants to be at the club next season.