Bart: Manchester United asked Scholes and I to recommend players, and we jointly recommended signing Pogba

Recently, on the "The Good and Bad of Football" podcast, Manchester United legends Scholes and Butt described in detail how discussions with Woodward ultimately led to Pogba's return.

Scholes and Butt have revealed a secret meeting where they were asked to give their input on potential signings for the club. The consultation took place during the 2013/14 season, when Ryan Giggs served as interim manager following the departure of Moyes. The Red Devils are undergoing a major overhaul following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, with the club seeking high-profile signings to regain their status as one of the Premier League's top teams. Against this backdrop, then-executive vice-chairman Woodward sought advice from Scholes and Butt and provided them with a list of four potential new signings.

Butt recalled: "I remember Giggs took over the team for four or five games at the end of the season, and then I was involved in that meeting with Scholes and Phil. Obviously, they were looking for the right manager to take over the job, so they needed to bring in some target players in the summer."

"I left the training ground and then was called back to participate in a meeting with me, Si The meeting between Coles, Giggs and Woodward, I remember Woodward participated via Zoom call, not face-to-face, I think he was in London, and he said: "Who will you choose?"

"He gave us a list of midfielders, and I know Pogba is one of them, is Kroos also mentioned?" Scholes added: "I think Cesc Fabregas could also be an option, and even Modric could be an option."

Butt continued: "I remember we were all discussing the pros and cons of these players, and the final conclusion was: Sign them two, Kroos and Pogba, because we are Manchester United and we need to get back to the top."

"If you sign one of them, it's like a yin and yang complementing each other. "Like this, we mentioned before that if you sign center back Maguire, you need a player next to him, and the same goes for the midfielders, who need to complement each other. That was our conclusion, and then they went all out to sign Pogba."

Manchester United brought Pogba back to Old Trafford in August 2016, and the transfer fee from Juventus could be as high as 93 million pounds. The France international made 233 appearances during his second spell with Manchester United, scoring 39 goals and providing 51 assists.

In 2022, he left Manchester United as a free agent. Pogba's career is often looked at from different angles, with some remembering his brilliant performances but others believing he never consistently reached the standards of a high-priced player.

Pogba's fate may have been different if Kroos, Modric or Cesc Fabregas had been signed. The former two continued to shine at Real Madrid for many years, while the latter had brief spells at Chelsea, France and Italy.