Joyce: Pogba was desperate to play for United against City and risk Juve transfer

Warren Joyce returns to Manchester United today, a club he spent 18 years at as a youth coach, with Wigan in the FA Cup.

He will reunited with Paul Pogba, who Joyce managed at United before his transfer to Juventus. 

Joyce claims the way his exit from the club was reported was not accurate and that the player was desperate to represent United. 

There is a story there but you’re better leaving it dead. There was a lot written and it wasn’t anywhere near the truth. There was me and him in a room and I can’t tell you. All I do know is he played for us in the Manchester Senior Cup final on May 17 at the Etihad, four days after Manchester City had won the league [in 2012]. He was still desperate to play for Man United in a reserve final when, if he breaks his leg, he isn’t going to Juventus.

Joyce claims Pogba has always had his heart set on being the best player in the world but wonders whether this is possible with all the off-field business the midfielder is involved in. 

He always wanted to be the best player in the world. He set his standards to try and do that. I had a go at him a couple of times because he never tackled. But he’s always had that inner drive to want to do that.

[Achieving] that depends on him really. It depends whether he keeps having them stupid haircuts, and is involved in too many gimmicks off the field. It’s up to him, what he does. That’s me being critical of him because you can’t remember Scholes and Ryan Giggs doing very much of that.