New Juventus loan recruit Randal Kolo Muani recently spoke on how Paul Pogba inspired him to join the Turin club in Italy, which eventually derailed the former’s chances of joining Manchester United. Kolo Muani was linked with United in 2023 and also in the ongoing January transfer window.
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France forward Randal Kolo Muani is someone who was linked with a move to Manchester United in 2023. At that time, Kolo Muani was with German outfit Eintracht Frankfurt and he eventually joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that was worth £88million. In the ongoing January transfer window, Kolo Muani was once again linked with United as they look to boost their attacking strengths.
However, he ultimately moved to Juventus on a loan deal that is worth £834,000 till the end of the 2024-25 season. Additional costs will take that to £2.1 million. According to Kolo Muani, former United and Juventus player Paul Pogba had a role to play in him moving to Juventus.
Kolo Muani reveals Pogba’s role in joining Juventus over Manchester United
“I’m happy to have arrived at a legendary club. I’m proud to wear this shirt and play for these fans,” he told tuttomercatoweb.com. “Among the many French players who have written the history of Juventus, I can’t help but mention [Zinedine] Zidane, but also [David] Trezeguet. Coming to more recent times, I would say Paul Pogba and obviously Khephren Thuram, who is doing very well here,” he added.
Pogba himself was representing Juventus during the drugs ban after he tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). He was suspended from playing football for four years, but in October last year,
that ban was reduced to 18 months, meaning that he can resume playing football in March. Pogba has also had two spells with Manchester United, during which the Red Devils won the UEFA Europa League (2016-17) and the EFL Cup (2016-17).
Kolo Muani could make the loan signing permanent in the summer and revealed that Juve manager Thiago Motta encouraged him to join the club. “I had a long chat with the manager [Thiago Motta]. He told me about his playing ideas and convinced me to sign. “I can’t wait to start training and get on the pitch. Playing is enough for me, I’ll do it wherever the coach asks me,” he said.
The 26-year-old stated that he would play in the centre-forward role had he been given a choice. If I really have to choose, I’ll say centre-forward because I think it’s the role where I can express myself best. I know that Serie A is a very difficult championship, where I think I’ll like to test myself,” he said.
