"I became a man when I was there" - Paul Pogba plays down claims that joining Manchester United was a mistake

Paul Pogba has opened up about his time at Manchester United, having moved on once more to join Juventus this summer. In a press conference, the midfielder explained that his decision to sign for the Red Devils back in 2016 was "not a mistake."

Speaking about the events of his life at the time (via ESPN), the Frenchman said:

"I believe in destiny... All the choices I have made in my career, in my life, I've always been very happy with these choices, and that's life. Sometimes you make some choices that maybe do not really go as you want. But... I'm very happy [with] the years I spent at Manchester [United] because I grew a lot, I learnt a lot, I became a man when I was there."

He added:

"It was not a mistake -- not at all. I was very happy there but you never know what might happen. Maybe if I had won something different, maybe also the choices would have been different, but now I'm very happy to be here and I'm glad that I'm back here at Juventus."

Paul Pogba and Juventus. It just makes sense 🥰 https://t.co/rx8rVmpIbS

Manchester United will, however, believe that signing Pogba was a poor piece of business, having lost him for the second time in his career. It is unlikely that the star will play at Old Trafford again, with the only winner in the deal being Juventus.

Former Manchester United star Pogba has now moved to Juventus

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has resigned for Italian giants Juventus on a free transfer this summer. The midfielder returns to the club after a disappointing six-year stint at United, where he joined for a world-record fee of £89 million in 2016.

Official, confirmed. Paul Pogba signs his contract as new Juventus player, new deal worth €8m net plus add ons until June 2026. Commission around €2.5m. 🚨⚪️⚫️ #Juventus

Pogba, back at Juventus on a free transfer after being sold for €100m six years ago. https://t.co/CmhXTO0XUH

The midfielder left Manchester United after failing to reach an agreement with the club on a new contract. He had to endure a topsy-turvy relationship with the fans as well.

The 29-year-old Frenchman played 232 games for the Red Devils, scoring 39 goals and providing 51 assists. He helped the club in winning the Europa League title and the Carabao Cup.

However, his performances were inconsistent for the Red Devils and his overall performance arguably didn't justify his record price. The midfielder will hope to rekindle his game back in Turin like he did earlier in his career. He also left the Red Devils for Juventus in 2012 on a free transfer.

The World Cup winner will hope to be imposing for the Turin giants in the months leading up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year. The Bianconeri will also hope that the Frenchman can lead them back to domestic dominance after an underwhelming last couple of seasons.