Midfielder Pogba, now valued at over £70m by Juve, has since developed into one of the world’s most sought-after players with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea among the clubs chasing him.
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While Moyes’s appointment was portrayed as United identifying a manager in Ferguson’s image and handing him the opportunity to build on his predecessor’s legacy with the backing of a six-year contract, the appointment quickly turned out to be a disaster. No one knew apart from the Glazers, David Gill and myself.
‘It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me.
Ferguson’s first encounter with Moyes in 1998 when he interviewed him for the assistant manager’s job at Old Trafford did not end well for the then Preston boss, who was overlooked and Steve McClaren took the position instead.
Ferguson also expressed his disappointment that Class of ’92 graduates Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, two of the mainstays of his United team for well over a decade, are not part of the club’s coaching staff. In that respect, Moyes might have been the flawless man for the job since he removed much of the pressure on Louis van Gaal when he took it last summer.
Ferguson insists he always gave Moyes his support following his appointment, and is fully behind current boss Van Gaal.
He added: “The sporting director told me there was a good striker with Lyon. I feel they were a loss to Manchester United”.
“Such as keeping Mick Phelan [Ferguson’s assistant], who would have been the invaluable guide to the many layers of the club that Ryan Giggs is to Louis van Gaal today”.
The succession process behind the scenes at Old Trafford began in March 2013 when Ferguson informed the owning Glazer family he wanted to retire in May.
The Scot won Europe’s top club competition twice, but the fact that figure left United two short of their great rivals Liverpool “still stings”, he said.
He reveals that the key to Paul Pogba leaving United in 2012 was the young Frenchman engaging the services of Mino Raiola, who also represents Mario Balotelli.
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“That whole experience was more painful than my hip replacement”, Ferguson said.
