Patrice Evra said Manchester United must take some responsibility for Paul Pogba's struggles this season after ignoring the Frenchman's requests to leave the club.
The midfielder has struggled for consistent form so far this season, which has seen him drop out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice XI.
He was handed his first start in a month against West Ham, with Solskjaer choosing to rest Bruno Fernandes ahead of a crucial Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Evra, Pogba's friend and former Juventus teammate, revealed that the Frenchman had told the United board he was keen to leave Old Trafford.
Evra argued that United's decision to keep Pogba against his wishes means it is difficult to lay blame at the feet of the World Cup-winning midfielder.
He said: "First of all, he’s had a bad ankle injury. There was lots of negative talk with what he’s been saying during his period with the French national team, the fans didn’t appreciate it.
"But I think it’s normal he’s starting today with Fred and Bruno missing. I think Ole wants Pogba to prove himself so he can be on the team sheet all the time.
"The position of Paul is really easy. He spoke to the board, he wanted to leave Man United to a certain point, they kept him, so it’s difficult to blame him because he’s been honest with the board.
"Now he’s playing, he needs to respect the shirt, his team-mates, the manager and then he’ll have a great chance.
"I can already feel that people just wait for Paul to fail to again criticise him. It’s been a problem because they didn’t deal with it at the beginning of the season, in truth."
