As soon as Zlatan Ibrahimović got wind of Paul Pogba potentially joining him at Old Trafford, he was determined to force the move through.
Normally you wouldn’t expect a player to have that sort of power, but (a) he’s Zlatan Ibrahimović, (b) he shares an agent with the Frenchman and (c) he’s Zlatan fucking Ibrahimović.
And it is that agent, Mino Raiola, who claims the Swede threatened to “break his legs” if Pogba left Juventus for any club other than Manchester United.
Mino Raiola in Dutch daily De Volkskrant: 'Zlatan called me and said: "Don't dare to bring Pogba anywhere else. I'll break your legs" #MUFC
— Elko Born (@Elko_B) September 24, 2016
Speaking to Dutch publication De Volkskrant, the Haarlem-raised super-agent – who also represents United midfielder Henrikj Mkhitaryan and former Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli, among others – also addressed Sir Alex Ferguson’s treatment of Pogba during the midfielder’s first spell at Old Trafford.
After joining United from Le Havre as a teenager, he played just seven games for the club before being allowed to move to Juve for free, just before the Scottish manager’s final season in charge.
“Mister Ferguson tried everything to stop mister Pogba’s career…And now I think: if he became a Sir, I might stand a chance too,” Raiola said.
Raiola: 'Mister Ferguson tried everything to stop mister Pogba's career…And now I think: if he became a Sir, I might stand a chance too'
— Elko Born (@Elko_B) September 24, 2016
Raiola is thought to have received an eight-figure sum for his part in the world record transfer of Pogba from Turin to Manchester.
United’s new number six scored his first goal for the club in the 4-1 victory over champions Leicester City, which saw José Mourinho’s team temporarily climb to third in the Premier League.
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