Ferguson asked me to convince Pogba to stay – Evra

The France full-back says his young compatriot was in turmoil over deciding his future and suggests David Moyes was never right to take over at Old Trafford

Patrice Evra has revealed he was asked by Sir Alex Ferguson to try to persuade Paul Pogba to stay at Manchester United.

Pogba joined Juventus in the summer of 2012 after growing frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities at Old Trafford and has since established himself as one of the finest young players in Europe.

Evra, who himself left United for Juve this summer, has now explained the way his young compatriot agonised over his future and how Ferguson had asked the experienced full-back to help.

“La Pioche [Pogba] is like a son to me,” he told La Repubblica.

“Ferguson sent me to his house to convince him to stay. He cried, he couldn’t sleep. He knew he could become greater than [Patrick] Vieira, but he had decided.

“Ferguson also knew Pogba could become very strong, but he couldn’t force the issue.”

Evra has also explained how Ferguson’s departure from United damaged the entire make-up of the club and left successor David Moyes – a man he holds in high regard – with a tough job.

“Ferguson was at the heart of everything. He made sure United was a family, with a culture for winning,” Evra added.

“I’ve suffered a lot for Moyes, a great person, but even with [Ryan] Giggs things were different. For this club, you have to sacrifice everything. That’s the kind of culture I’ve found at Juve.”

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