Paul Scholes claims he is ‘partly responsible’ for former Man Utd teammate’s decision to quit Old Trafford

Former England midfielder Paul Scholes has shouldered some of the blame for an ex-Manchester United player leaving under Sir Alex Ferguson’s Old Trafford tenure.

Paul Scholes’ legendary playing career was spent in its entirety at Old Trafford across two separate spells after his rise to prominence at the club in the 1990s.

The 51-year-old Manchester United legend was a linchpin midfield influence for Sir Alex Ferguson and had a profound impact during his prolific run at the Red Devils.

Scholes crossed paths with Paul Pogba towards the tail end of his United run and the former Red Devils midfielder reflected on the knock-on effect that he had on the Frenchman.

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Paul Scholes explains why his second Man Utd spell impacted Paul Pogba for the wrong reasons

Paul Scholes initially retired in 2011 before Manchester United’s ‘Class of ‘92’ star walked back on his decision and returned for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in 2012. The former England international lifted United’s final Premier League title back in 2013 before he bowed out of Old Trafford at the same time as Ferguson.

Paul Pogba had been making a name for himself in the United youth academy and received his first-team debut under Ferguson. However, the 33-year-old French midfielder’s first spell was short-lived after his opportunities were limited during his time at Old Trafford.

Iconic former United manager Ferguson was left deeply disappointed after Pogba chose to leave Old Trafford and moved to Juventus instead in 2012. Speaking to Darts star Luke Littler, Scholes is convinced that he had a role to play in hindering Pogba’s development at the Premier League club.

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“I was half the reason he left the first time,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.

“I retired when I was 36 and I came back; Paul was just coming through. I think he expected to play.

“I came back in January and we had Rafael da Silva and Phil Jones in midfield. Paul was the next kid coming up; I was training against him every day, and he thought he should’ve been playing.

“His agent turned down deals and stuff, and that’s why he left. So, I’m partly responsible for that.”

Pogba, who is now a free agent, shot to stardom during his first spell in Turin and enjoyed a prolific run at Juventus before his return to Old Trafford. United broke the world-record fee at that time in 2016 to re-sign the 2018 World Cup winner in an £89m transfer.