Rooney accuses Pogba of crippling Manchester United with €105m transfer

Paul Pogba finds himself without a club after the early termination of his contract with AS Monaco, and it is from England that the harshest criticism is reaching him. Wayne Rooney has targeted the 32-year-old midfielder, pointing to his 2016 return to Manchester United, completed for €105 million, as one of the transfers that continues to handicap the Red Devils.

“When you think about Lukaku, Pogba and the money spent on certain players… It has been an absolute disaster,” said the former Manchester striker. Rooney did not stop there: “Manchester is still paying for its mistakes today. Some of the players recruited have collapsed, others have not been able to handle that pressure.”

To illustrate his point, the former England international used Liverpool as a counter-example: “You saw them building, spending €30 million on players, keeping them for 6, 7, 8 years or selling them for €100 million.” Before concluding: “Because of previous mistakes, the club finds itself in this position today.”

As for Pogba, his spell at Monaco ended in failure. Arriving at the principality hoping to revive a career marked by a four-year suspension for doping — reduced to eighteen months on appeal — the Frenchman failed to rediscover his level, notably due to repeated injuries. Monaco ultimately chose to terminate the contract a year before its expiration.

At 32, Pogba is now free to sign with any club he wishes. His market value and sporting future remain in limbo, while the debate over Manchester United’s lavish spending in the mid-2010s resurfaces with undiminished force.