Paul Pogba Explains Why He Rejected Real Madrid to Rejoin Manchester United

Paul Pogba has admitted that he gave serious consideration to joining Real Madrid ahead of his then world-record transfer back to Manchester United.

The Red Devils star was the subject of a two-way battle between the European giants after a four-season spell with Juventus, and Pogba let his heart rule his head as he opted to return to Old Trafford instead of heading to Spain's capital.

In an interview with the Beyond the Pitch podcast, though, the France international revealed that Los Blancos would have been his chosen destination if any other team other than United had tried to secure his signature.

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He said: "To be honest, Real Madrid came to me and I was thinking to go there, and I was thinking to go to Manchester United too. But I always felt it in my heart. My heart told me to come back here, I don't know why, I didn't know what was going to happen.

"But I did it, and I don't regret. I never regret my choice."

Pogba initially left United on a free transfer after he wasn't promised the regular first-team football he craved at the time, and decided to head to Turin and join Juventus' domination of Italian football.

The 24-year-old returned home as the prodigal son in August 2016 for £89m and has gone on to feature 63 times for the Red Devils since he traded Serie A for the Premier League.

Real were consistently linked with the midfielder's signature throughout the summer of 2016 as Pogba's next move was the subject of plenty of back page headlines. Instead he wanted to head back to his old stomping ground, and helped United lift the Europa League and Carabao Cup in his first season back.

Pogba will sit out two more league games - the matches against Bournemouth and West Brom - as a result of the red card he picked up in the 2-1 win over Arsenal on 2nd December.