“I’m a very bad loser” - Paul Pogba hits back at Rooney for claiming he danced inside Manchester United dressing room after defeat
Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba has slammed Wayne Rooney. The French midfielder responded to Rooney's criticism of his alleged post-match behavior in the dressing room in the past.
The United legend's comments were revealed by another former player, Rio Ferdinand, last month. He claimed that he saw Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard dancing in the dressing room and called Rooney to complain about the matter.
The former England striker apparently said he was powerless as he witnessed the pair's actions. However, Pogba has rubbished Rooney's claims, saying why would he dance after a defeat in the presence of a Manchester United legend.
During an interview with Sky Sports, the Juventus midfielder said:
“I want to clarify something, because I’ve been hearing that Wayne Rooney once said we lost a game and me and Jesse [Lingard] were dancing in the changing room. You always need a witness in these cases. So if somebody can confirm [that] what Rooney said [happened] in the changing room [is true], I will accept it. But if there’s no one [who can confirm], that means it’s not true."
He added:
“Did Lingard confirm that? Never. I never confirmed that. I’m a very bad loser and I respect what I do. I respect the club. After a game that I lose, me coming to the dressing room, putting music and [with] Rooney, the legend of the club sitting there, not saying nothing to us? Does it match? Nobody at the club will come and say nothing to us if we dance after losing a game?"
Pogba had two stints at Manchester United from 2009 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2022, making 233 appearances for the senior team.
Rio Ferdinand's call with Wayne Rooney about former Manchester United stars Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard
Speaking on his YouTube channel with former teammate Phil Jones last month, Rio Ferdinand recalled the phone call he had with Wayne Rooney about Pogba and Lingard's actions.
Ferdinand claimed that the former United duo took a video of their dance in the dressing room when the club were placed sixth in the league and posted it on Instagram.
He said:
"I'll tell you when it changed, from the outside at least. I rang Wazza when I saw Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard dancing on Instagram when we were sixth in the league."
Ferdinand then revealed details of his conversation with Rooney, saying:
"I rang Wazza and said, 'What's going on here? How are you allowing this?' And he said, 'You can't say nothing man, it's not the same anymore'. He said, 'It's not just those two, there would be a big group looking at me like I'm mad if I said anything.'"
Jesse Lingard left Manchester United in 2022 to join Nottingham Forest. However, the Englishman was released after his 12-month contract expired as he failed to make an impact.
He now plies his trade in South Korea for K League 1 side FC Seoul.