Cape Town - David Moyes has told The Sunday Times that he wanted to sign Paul Pogba for Manchester United, but suggested a deal would have been impossible.
David Moyes, who spent less than a season in charge of the Red Devils, named the former United youth player along with Chilean star Arturo Vidal and German midfielder Tonis Kroos, among his five players to watch at the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
Juventus have reportedly put a 60 million pound price tag on Pogba.
Pogba cost a fraction of that when he left Manchester United for the Seria A, a deal which cost Juventus a paltry 800,000 pounds.
Moyes believes Pogba can become develop into a world beater and possibly the next Yaya Toure.
Moyes, writing for The Sunday Times, said that Pogba has blossomed in his time in Italy after joining Juventus at 19. Moyes added that Pogba's development was no shock to the United staff who worked with him at Old Trafford. "If it were possible, I would have tried to bring him back to Manchester United," he wrote in the paper's World Cup supplement. "He has flourished in Serie A since joining Juve at the age of 19 but that has been no surprise to those who worked with him at Old Trafford."
Louis van Gaal has ended the Red Devils chase of Bayern Munich star Kroos which Moyes said he had prepared the way for the transfer. Van Gaal takes over the reigns at Old Trafford at the conclusion of the World Cup.
Moyes wrote: "It is no secret that I had put a lot of groundwork into signing [Kroos] for Manchester United. What I like about Kroos is that he plays the ball to penetrate, he doesn't do passing for passing's sake."
Van Gaal however is looking at other targets including Chilean midfield general Vidal, telling reporters: "Chile have very dangerous players. I always wanted to buy Vidal when he was at Bayer Leverkusen but he went to Juventus."