Ibrahimovic attends criticism of Pogba during the promotion 92 of Ferguson

(Reuters) – Former Manchester United players in the famous Clbad of 92 have criticized midfielder Paul Pogba for not being loyal to former coach Alex Ferguson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic said.

Pogba, who went through the United Academy, left the club for free in 2012 after Ferguson quarreled with French agent Mino Raiola, but returned after a four-year spell to Juventus for a record of the world in 2016.

The 26-year-old has been criticized for his poor form early in the season by former players Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, who are working as television experts, and Ibrahimovic said the decision stemmed from Pogba's decision to leave United and Ferguson for Juventus.

"With Pogba, he was with United when he was young, then he came out and he came back," said Ibrahimovic, who played with Pogba at United for a season and a half at the Mirror.

"In Ferguson's circle, they do not like that because they've been in Ferguson all their life and never left Ferguson.

"They did not even talk if Ferguson did not tell them to open their mouths. So now, if they speak, I do not know if Ferguson gave them permission or not.

Although he played a crucial role in winning the World Cup with France last year, Pogba fought for form at United this season under former coach Jose Mourinho, who placed the midfielder at the end of his tenure at Old Trafford.

However, Pogba returned his campaign with nine goals and seven badists in all competitions after the nomination of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as head of the interim team in December.

"I think Pogba has the potential to be the best player in the world at this position," added Ibrahimovic, who is now part of LA Galaxy, the MLS.

"He's a good guy, he trains a lot, he listens, he wants to be better, he wants to win, he wants to play in every game.

"The things going on outside do not really bother him because when you're at this level, everyone will talk – positive, negative, in between."