Paul Pogba revealed he had "thought a lot" about returning to Juventus after sealing his Serie A comeback, as he blamed his Manchester United struggles on multiple factors.
Having left United following the end of his contract in June, Pogba sealed a return to Juventus on Monday, six years after departing the Turin giants to head to Old Trafford in a then-world record £89million (€105m) deal.
The 2018 World Cup winner won four consecutive Serie A titles in his first spell with the Bianconeri, scoring 34 goals in 178 appearances for the club.
Despite lifting the EFL Cup and Europa League trophies in the 2016-17 season, Pogba largely struggled to live up to his lofty price tag with United.
His presence could not prevent the Red Devils from failing to win any silverware in the five years that followed his first campaign back in England.
While Pogba confessed a Serie A return had been in his thoughts for some time, the France star insisted he did not regret his Premier League move and felt he had grown as a player at United.
"I am happy to go home, this is how I feel here," Pogba said at his unveiling on Tuesday.
"You have all seen the welcome of the people, but this is something more than a dream. I am very, very happy.
"The messages from the Juventus fans have always pleased me, even though I was focused on doing well at United.
"Last season, there was only one year left [on my contract], I thought a lot about my return, and here I am. Now I am happy.
"I believe in destiny, I'm happy with the choices I've made in my life. Life is like this, sometimes you make choices that don't go your way, but I'm happy with the years in Manchester.
"I grew up, I learned, I became a man. I wasn't wrong. God wanted this, and I'm just very happy to be here at Juventus today.
"My heart told me that Juve was my destination. I felt inside that this was where I wanted to return, and I made my decision."
Pogba played under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick during his troubled spell in Manchester, and the midfielder believes the absence of continuity at United held him back.
"Changing coach every year is hard - this was a difficult aspect for me," he added.
"Then there were a few injuries, but I think it was also a mental thing; playing and not playing makes you lose the pace.
"There is a bit of everything; coach, team, position -. all this has blocked me a bit.
"Now, however, I have left, and you will see another Paul. I can do better than I have in recent years."
Pogba says the presence of Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri, who oversaw two of his four Scudetto triumphs, was a big factor in his decision to return.
"Even in Manchester I often talked to him, we have always had a great relationship and even before coming here I talked to him," Pogba revealed.
"I spent many beautiful years with him, coming back here today means doing it at the right time and with the right person."
Juventus begin their bid for a first Serie A title since 2020 when they host Sassuolo on August 15, after taking part in high-profile friendlies against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Ten Hag unconcerned by Fernandes' fitness ahead of Man Utd's trip to Brighton
Erik ten Hag is not worried about Bruno Fernandes' fitness ahead of Manchester United's final game of the Premier League season.
Fernandes impressed in an attacking midfield role in United's 3-2 win over Newcastle on Wednesday.
The Portugal international was forced off through injury late on, yet Ten Hag is not overly concerned.
"Bruno didn't miss so much and he's fit," Ten Hag told United's media channels.
"I would say that is one of my least concerns, if he can keep going. He's fresh and he's in very good form but the others you mentioned, it's important [to get game time].
"They missed some games. [Marcus] Rashford, of course. [Lisandro] Martinez missed, I would say, almost the whole season. So every minute that he can get, we have to give him."
Should United win, and Newcastle fail to beat Brentford, then the Red Devils will be guaranteed European football next season, even if they lose the FA Cup final when they face Manchester City at Wembley on May 25.
Ten Hag's future is uncertain, but Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi pointed to United's injury issues as a main factor in their frustrating campaign.
"They have suffered a lot of injuries, problems, but they are still a very good team," he said.
"Ten Hag's Ajax team has been one of the best in quality of play. For United, this season, it's been tough playing without a lot of important players."
Brighton are entrenched in mid-table after failing to match the same heights they managed last season.
However, two of their players - Pascal Gross and striker Denis Undav, who is on loan at Stuttgart - were on Thursday called up for Germany's Euro 2024 squad.
De Zerbi said: "I am happy for Undav. He is becoming a great player. Pascal is not a surprise - he deserves to play for the national team."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brighton - James Milner
James Milner has appeared in the final game in 16 different Premier League campaigns – if he plays in this match, he’ll be the first player in the competition's history to do so in 17 different seasons.
Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes has created 113 chances in the Premier League this season, 14 more than any other player. He also created the most chances last season (119) and is the first player to do so in back-to-back seasons since Eden Hazard in 2013-14 (93) and 2014-15 (100).
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
In their first 19 Premier League matches this season, Brighton were the fifth-highest scorers in the Premier League (38 goals) and had a conversion rate of 13.3 per cent. In their last 18 games since the turn of the year, only Everton (15) have scored fewer goals than the Seagulls (17), with their conversion rate of 6.6 per cent the worst of any side in this time.
United have lost their final league game in two of the last five seasons (W3), as many times as they had in the previous 33 campaigns (W23 D8).
Brighton have lost their final game in four of their six Premier League campaigns, with the exceptions being a 2-1 win at Burnley (2019-20) and a 3-1 home win v West Ham (2021-22).
Brighton have won each of their last four Premier League games against United – the last side to beat the Red Devils in five consecutive league games was Norwich City between 1988 and 1990.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Brighton - 35.4%
Man Utd - 35.9%
Draw - 28.7%
Juventus sack head coach Allegri for behaviour at Coppa Italia final
Juventus have relieved head coach Massimiliano Allegri of his duties with immediate effect, citing his behaviour during Wednesday's Coppa Italia final win as a factor in their decision.
Allegri led Juve to a 1-0 win over Atalanta in Wednesday's domestic cup final at the Stadio Olimpico, the Bianconeri's first major trophy since they won the same competition in 2021.
They have now won the Coppa six times in the last decade, while Allegri's five titles make him the most successful coach in the competition's history outright.
However, cup glory was not enough to save Allegri's job after a staggering collapse in the second half of Juve's 2023-24 Serie A campaign.
Juve were neck-and-neck with Inter at the summit at the turn of the year, but they are not even assured of a top-four finish with two games remaining following a run of five straight draws.
They are guaranteed Champions League football for 2023-24 due to Italian clubs' performances in Europe this term, but Allegri will not lead them on their return to Europe's elite club competition.
In a statement, the 36-time Italian champions said Allegri's animated behaviour during and after Wednesday's final contributed to his dismissal.
The club said: "Juventus announces that it has relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his duties as coach of the men's first team.
"The dismissal follows certain behaviours during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and with the behaviour that must be held by those who represent it.
"A period of collaboration which began in 2014 and restarted in 2021 for three more seasons together comes to an end.
"The club wishes Massimiliano Allegri the best of luck in his future projects."
Thiago Motta – who has led Bologna to Champions League qualification – has been strongly linked with the role, with Allegri's position being questioned throughout the last few months.
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