Mino Raiola answers Sir Alex Ferguson criticism over Paul Pogba exit from Manchester United

Mino Raiola has responded to recent claims made by Sir Alex Ferguson, insisting that the considerable criticism from received from Manchester United's former manager is actually proof that he is successful in his job. In his latest book Leading, the famously fiery Scot speaks of his distrust and dislike for the Dutch-Italian agent and bemoans his involvement in Paul Pogba's decision to leave Old Trafford in favour of a move to boyhood idols Juventus in 2012.

With clients such as the French midfielder, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Everton's Romelu Lukaku, Marek Hamsik, Blaise Matuidi and controversial striker Mario Balotelli, Raiola, along with Jorge Mendes, is generally regarded as one of European football's most influential 'super agents'. While not always popular with managers, he insists the decision to take Pogba to Serie A was done solely with the player's best interests in mind.

"Those words don't describe my job in a negative way" he told Tuttosport as quoted by FourFourTwo. "I rate them as a proof that I work well. I have to do my best for my players' sake. If I looked only at my immediate gain, I would have kept Pogba in Manchester.

"But I put Pogba's interests first, and we decided to go to Turin. Maybe Ferguson only likes those who obey him. From his quotes, I understand that Ferguson still doesn't understand who Pogba is. Ferguson was an excellent manager, but the greatest managers may be wrong sometimes."

Pogba has flourished since leaving Manchester, winning three consecutive domestic titles in Turin as well as the Coppa Italia. He was also a member of the Juventus side who defeated the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid on their way to reaching a first Champions League final since 2003 in May, before being denied a famous treble after losing 3-1 to Barcelona in Berlin.

Unsurprisingly, the recent transfer window brought a fresh raft of speculation over the 22 year old's future. Chelsea and Manchester City are believed to be two of his long-term suitors, with reigning La Liga champions Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain also thought to hold a significant interest.

Juve eventually held out, however, and Pogba looks to be more important than ever to Massimiliano Allegri's side following the sale of influential midfielder Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich and Andrea Pirlo's move to Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC. Carlos Tevez also left the club over the summer in order to return to his native Argentina with Boca Juniors, while new signing Sami Khedira suffered a thigh injury during a pre-season friendly with Marseille.

Despite winning the title last term by a 17-point margin over nearest challengers AS Roma, Juventus have picked up just one win from their opening four games of the 2015/16 season and currently lie 13th after early defeats to Udinese and Roma and a 1-1 draw with Chievo. Pogba scored in the recent victory over Genoa and also caught the eye as the Old Lady opened their European account with a 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.