Paul Pogba has been told that “Italian football suits him”, with former Manchester United star Jaap Stam not surprised to have seen talk of a potential return to Juventus surface.
The France international midfielder has already retraced his steps once in his career, with a 2016 transfer returning him to Old Trafford for a second spell after four years in Turin.
It could be that a move in the opposite direction is completed in the near future, with questions continuing to be asked of Pogba’s ongoing presence in England.
He claimed to have headed “home” when re-signing for the Red Devils in an £89 million ($116m) deal, but speculation has suggested for some time that criticism of his form could lead him back to Italy.
Stam can see why such a switch would appeal, telling Il Bianconero ahead of Pogba’s latest reunion with Juventus in the Champions League: “It’ll be fantastic for him to return to Italy, he’ll face the team where he developed in front of the fans who cheered for him.
“He’ll certainly want to make a good impression and do his best.
“A possible return to Juventus? I have no idea if he’s happy at Manchester United but I’m sure he would be good at Juventus. Italian football suits him.”
Pogba and United will be hoping to fare better against Juventus in Turin in Wednesday than they did during their last meeting, when a Paulo Dybala strike earned three European points for the dominant Bianconeri at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho and his side faced plenty of uncomfortable questions on that back of that performance and Stam fears more could lie in store for an inconsistent team readying themselves for a testing trip to the home of the undefeated Serie A leaders.
The Dutchman added: “I expect a match in which both teams will want to get three points.
“Certainly the approach will be different though, Juventus are a team that prefers to attack from the first minute of the game, while Manchester United are more cautious, they prefer to wait for the opponent and then hit them.
“They’ll try to win though, because if United lose tomorrow night the pressure will be on Mourinho again.
“Juventus are favourites, they haven’t dropped any points in the Champions League and they have great players.
“Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci? They’re good players who have played at a high level for many years now. I heard the Manchester United manager say that 'they could teach Harvard,' but I don’t agree with that.
“But I think Juventus really can win the Champions League. Of course, they’re not at the level of Barcelona in terms of playing with the ball but that doesn’t mean they can’t aspire to win it.
“Games are not always decided by individual play, in this competition there are important aspects such as mentality and mental strength. It also takes a little bit of luck in individual matches.”