Andrea Pirlo denies slamming Manchester United’s Paul Pogba deal in unique style

Updated 15/08/2016 at 16:22 GMT

Andrea Pirlo has denied making derisory remarks about Paul Pogba’s world-record return to Manchester United… calling the story “b******t”.

Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo console each other after Juventus lose to Barcelona

Image credit: AFP

Warning – explicit language below

Quotes surfaced in the Daily Mail on Sunday that credited Pirlo with a damning assessment of United’s original decision to let Pogba leave the club.

“On the first day training session Pogba had with Juventus the players were laughing,” it was alleged that Pirlo said.

Serie A

Bonucci set to undergo medical ahead of Juventus return

02/08/2018 at 10:36

We were not laughing for any other reason than we were just in total disbelief that this player with so much obvious ability was able to leave a club the size of Manchester United for free... and I think Juventus are still laughing.

Manchester United have welcomed back Paul Pogba in a world record deal

Image credit: Eurosport

“I will always remember the first day he trained at Juventus,” Pirlo's reported comments continued. “He was only young, but we could see he was special. We were walking back to the dressing room after the session and I clearly remember Gianluigi Buffon coming up to me laughing and he just said: ‘Did they really let him go for free?’.”

But Pogba’s former team-mate has taken to Twitter to discredit the story.

Pogba left Old Trafford for a minimal fee in 2012 before returning in a world-record €105m move four years later.

Pirlo won four league titles with Juventus alongside the young Frenchman in their four seasons at the club and is currently playing in America with New York City.

Serie A