Ally McCoist urges Man Utd to avoid bargain signing after four-word hint made on Old Trafford move

Manchester United have been urged to avoid bringing Paul Pogba back on a free transfer to Old Trafford once the midfielder’s doping ban comes to an end.

The former £89m Red Devils signing was handed a four-year doping ban in 2023 but had his punishment reduced to 18 months by the court of arbitration for sport on appeal. He is free to play again from March and is without a club after agreeing to terminate his Juventus contract in November. United are free to recruit him on a free transfer and Pogba appeared to hint at a possible move back to Old Trafford in a recent social media post.

United told to avoid Pogba signing

Pogba teased a possible return to Manchester earlier this week as he shared a cartoon image of him standing next to Amad with the pair in United kits. He included the caption: “Let’s see what’s coming...”

Asked if United should consider Pogba, McCoist said on talkSPORT: “Absolutely no way, not even, don't even contemplate it. Move forward, move on. I mean that's, for me, that would be a step back the way and I know sometimes you have to take a wee step back to move forward but no, not for me. Plus the fact I'm listening to the manager [Ruben] Amorim, I don't know, I'm guessing but I'm not sure Pogba's his type of player.”

Co-host Alan Brazil agreed with McCoist’s sentiments and added: “I don't know, I don't know enough about Amorim at the moment. He would know about dressing rooms and who can upset people in dressing rooms and I'm afraid I think Paul comes into that so I wouldn't be taking the chance.”

Saha wants Pogba to return to United

Former Red Devils striker Louis Saha disagrees with McCoist and Brazil and would be keen for Pogba to return to United. He said: "I think it's gonna be an interesting few days for Paul as the transfer window comes to a close. He needs a club, that's for sure. He's on the free, so in many ways that takes a bit of the pressure off him because he can sign for a club when the transfer window closes, but from Paul’s perspective, he will want to get onto the grass with his new teammates in training as quickly as possible.

"The best thing for Paul is that he starts training with a club now, getting his fitness and tactical understanding to the best possible level. He will also want to know what kind of role he is going to play. But if Paul Pogba is available, believe me, I would love to see him back at United at this moment in time. That’s how good he is. When he is fit and firing, he could go into the Manchester United squad and become one of the best players quite quickly.

"There are a handful of players that really excite me. Amad [Diallo] excites me. Neymar excites me. Pogba excites me. There are only a handful of players in this world that can do what Paul Pogba can do. It’s as simple as that, and that is why I would love for him to write another chapter with Manchester United."