Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri admits Paul Pogba s performances at the World Cup caught his eye but stopped short of expressing an interest in bringing the midfielder back to Turin.
After a season of mixed fortunes at Manchester United, where he impressed and frustrated across the course of a campaign that yielded only runners-up spots in the Premier League and FA Cup, Pogba was inspirational for France in Russia and scored in their 4-2 final victory over Croatia.
The 25-year-old s international team-mate Blaise Matuidi called for Pogba to return to Juventus amid France s celebrations, and it has been rumoured he would be interested in heading back to Serie A to link up with new signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
Allegri – who allowed Pogba to leave Juventus for an initial €105M in August 2016 after four glittering seasons with the Bianconeri – praised the midfielder for coming of age at the World Cup but would not confirm any concrete interest in a transfer.
Merci to all the supporters for the season with us, for being part of my life and letting me enter yours. Without you, we can’t be UNITED.
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba)
I can only say I m happy for having seen him grown up in an important competition like the World Cup, Allegri told reporters.
He played with great personality. Compared to the past, he matured a lot.
Allegri watched his players beat Bayern Munich 2-0 on Wednesday in the International Champions Cup, and he praised new arrivals Emre Can and Joao Cancelo for improving the team in their first pre-season outing.
Juve s goals were scored by 21-year-old forward Andrea Favilli but Allegri indicated that it was too soon for him to compete for a first-team place.
Favilli is a good player, he said. He has great potential and great skills, but I think he is about to move to Genoa on loan for next year.
