Rio Ferdinand has urged Man Utd to ‘take a look at’ Paul Pogba as he returns to fitness (Image: Getty)
believes there is a free agent signing should look at following Monday’s transfer deadline.
And it’s one that would send shockwaves through the fanbase, with Ferdinand urging manager to ‘have a look at’ by inviting him to train at Carrington.
Pogba spent three years on United’s books as a teenager, left for Juventus in 2012 and commanded what was then a world-record transfer fee when he returned to Old Trafford four years later. The World Cup winner, now 31, scored 39 goals in 226 games for the Red Devils but still divided opinion on whether his second spell at the club was a success or a failure.
Having been hit with a four-year doping ban last February, which was later reduced to 18 months, Pogba will be eligible to return to the pitch in March. Despite being linked with Marseille, he remains on the market as a free agent and is therefore attainable despite the transfer window closing on Monday night.
Ferdinand feels his former employers, who only signed youngsters Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven in January, could do worse than to cast an eye over their ex-midfield general with a view to offering him a third spell at the club.
He explained on his YouTube channel, : “I’d say to Pogba, ‘Come in and train with us, let me see what you’ve got’. I’d do that. I would have done that already. Come in and get fit, but I’d also have a look [at him].”
Paul Pogba is eligible to return to competitive action next month (Image: Getty)
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Pogba won a Europa League and two Carabao Cups with the Red Devils, on top of his four Serie A titles at Juventus and 2018 World Cup triumph with France. But he will inevitably have some rust to shake off when he returns to the pitch, having not played a competitive game for nearly two years.
In an interview with late last year, Pogba maintained his innocence and insisted he did not knowingly take any banned substance.
He said: “When all the things happened, the people I know were like: ‘No, for sure we know Paul, he would never take that. If he did, he didn’t know or it wasn’t on purpose.’ And this is totally the truth.
“I am an honest person and I would say it. At the end, I would say it. This is not me. I am not a cheater. I am someone who loves my sport, I love the game and I would never ever. I don’t like to cheat. I like to win fairly and people know that. You see it. You see me, I am someone who is a bad loser, but I am not a cheater. That’s for sure.”