Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson asked the Nerazzurri to pull out of the race to sign French youngster Paul Pogba.
The 19-year-old joined Juventus in the summer after running down his contract at Old Trafford, with a tribunal deciding on an £800,000 fee.
Moratti has been impressed by Pogba's start for the Bianconeri and admitted that he may have made a mistake in not snapping him up.
That decision could come back to haunt Inter as they make the trip to Turin for tomorrow's crunch Serie A encounter.
"He really does seem like a good player," Moratti told La Stampa.
"We were following him too, but we had an agreement with Manchester United – to not negotiate with players at the end of their deals.
"That was a request from Sir Alex Ferguson and we pulled out of the race. We perhaps made a mistake, but we can't sign everyone."
Pogba has scored two goals in six appearances in Serie A.
Michael Penkman
