Man Utd hero Sir Alex Ferguson slammed by Mino Raiola for letting Paul Pogba leave as agent compares him to Sepp Blatter
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CONTROVERSIAL super-agent Mino Raiola has reignited his feud with Sir Alex Ferguson by firing fresh shots at the Manchester United legend.
The pair fell out back in 2012 when Paul Pogba’s representative convinced him to leave the Red Devils due to a lack of first-team football.
Raiola had already irked Fergie when he demanded an improved contract for the midfielder, something United refused and eventually leading to the star leaving as a free agent for Juventus.
Ferguson has since aired his views on Raiola, writing in his book ‘Leading’: “There are one or two football agents I simply do not like, and Mino Raiola is one of them. I distrusted him from the moment I met him.
“We had Paul under a three-year contract, and it had a one-year renewal option which we were eager to sign.
“But Raiola suddenly appeared on the scene and our first meeting was a fiasco. He and I were like oil and water.”
Now the Dutch-Italian Raiola has fired back at the 79-year-old, claiming Fergie only liked ‘yes’ men and comparing him to disgraced ex-Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
And he also says that United’s owners the Glazers proved him right about his client when they signed him back for £89.3million after Ferguson’s retirement.
He told : “When Ferguson criticised me, that was my biggest compliment anybody could give me.
“Ferguson is used to people coming in and, ‘Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir’.
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“All I have to say that when Ferguson left Manchester United the club's owner [the Glazers], by buying back Paul Pogba, told me that I was right.
“Because I didn't want to take Paul Pogba away. He [Ferguson] didn't believe in Paul Pogba.
“So when Ferguson says, ‘I don't like him’, it's the biggest compliment that I could have. It's like saying Sepp Blatter says, ‘I don't like him’. Fantastic. I don't care what Ferguson says.”
Raiola’s relationship with United is back in the spotlight after he made yet more remarks regarding Pogba.
Late last year he declared that his player would leave the club at the end of his deal in 2022 as he urged them to sell him this summer rather than losing him for nothing again.
Raiola said: “I can say that it's over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United.
“Paul is unhappy. He is no longer able to express himself as he would like and as expected of him. He has to change teams; he has to change the air.
“He has a contract that will expire in a year and a half, but I think the best solution for the parties is to sell him in the next market.”
As well as Pogba, Raiola also represents one of United’s top transfer targets - Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
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And with Real Madrid, Chelsea and neighbours Man City all chasing the striker’s services, the Red Devils will have to go against their reluctance to work with Raiola if they are to capture his services.
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