Paul Pogba has confirmed that he did reject Pep Guardiola and Manchester City when leaving their arch-rivals United as a free agent in 2022.

Having reached the end of his contract at Old Trafford, Pogba faced a huge call on his future. He had spent another six years with the Red Devils by that point, with his performances on the back of a record-breaking £89 million ($116m) transfer dividing opinion.

The Frenchman was given the chance to link up with Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium – keeping him in Manchester – but the decision was taken to retrace his steps to Juventus. That move has not worked out as planned, with a doping ban currently being served, but Pogba has no regrets.

Pogba said “yes” to Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if he had snubbed interest from Guardiola in order to rejoin Juve in the summer of 2022. The 31-year-old midfielder has made just 12 appearances for the Bianconeri since heading back to Turin.

Questions are being asked of whether Pogba has a future with Juve, as his reduced ban will end in March 2025, and he has been linked with teams from Ligue 1 to MLS. Quizzed on whether he could join close friend and former United team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic at AC Milan, Pogba said: “Ibra will always be Ibra, a legend of the club: with his experience he can give a lot to the Rossoneri. Calling me to bring me to Milan? Zlatan knows that I am under contract with Juve. I don't see myself wearing another shirt. My focus now is to get back to wearing the Juve one.”

Pogba is under contract at Juventus until the summer of 2026. There has been talk of those terms being ripped up, with the France international considered by many to be in need of a fresh start following another testing period in his eventful career.