'Pogba does not feel loved at Man U' - Evra

Paul Pogba needs to feel more love if he is to thrive at Manchester United, according to friend and former team-mate Patrice Evra.

The World Cup winner's future continues to generate headlines less than a week out from the new Premier League season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he has "no doubts" over Pogba's loyalty despite Mino Raiola, the player's agent, last month admitting the midfielder wants to move on. Real Madrid reportedly remain interested in engineering a deal.

Ex-United defender Evra shared a changing room with Pogba at Old Trafford and Juventus and thinks more warmth towards his compatriot could end the discontent.

"I don't know what Paul's future holds," the now-retired Evra told The Daily Mail. "I do know that he felt really loved in Juventus. He doesn't feel that love in Manchester. We always forget what a player is about. A player is about performing on the pitch. So kill him when he is not playing well but if he is playing well, concentrate on that.

"When you buy nice cars and a big house, you will create hate and jealousy so you have to step up your game and make sure it doesn't affect you. That's why I say to Paul: do whatever you want but if you see it affects your game, stop. Don't try to be like a warrior. Stop."

 

July 16, 2019

It was a few months into the final season of Pogba's first stint at United that former France left-back Evra accused Luis Suarez of racially abusing him during a Premier League match. Suarez, then with Liverpool, denied the allegation but served an eight-game ban over the incident, though Evra does not hold a grudge towards the Uruguayan.

"I don't know if Suarez is a racist. I don't know his family. I don't know his background," he said. "But racism is so big for so many years and that day, there was racist abuse. So when we went to the hearing, they listened to me because I said I didn't want them to punish him and I don't know him close enough to say he is racist but he used that racist word.

"I don't hate him. I never hated him. I wanted to punch him at the time but for me to hate someone is impossible."