ADRIEN RABIOT is closing in on his £15million transfer to Manchester United with talks ongoing.
The Juventus midfielder, 27, looks set to sign his contract at Old Trafford in the coming days.
But Erik ten Hag should know he may well have his hands full trying to keep the French bad-boy on the right path – just weeks after another talented-but-high-maintenance midfielder, Paul Pogba, went the opposite way from United to Juve.
Because Rabiot certainly has a colourful career including his fair share of bust-ups with team-mates, managers, sporting directors and fans alike…
ZLAT WAS SILLY
Brave or stupid? You decide.
Rabiot decided to get into two heated clashes with none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic – his own team-mate.
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And he did it during a FRIENDLY match against Chelsea in 2015 – then later admitted it was “not cool of me”.
The pair then tussled in PSG training a year later with verbal insults fired at each other before captain Thiago Silva stepped in to break it up.
Rabiot revealed: “The first encounter with Ibrahimovic took place during a friendly match in the United States.
“Zlatan got p***ed at me because I played stupidly. But he had lost the ball and I had to take a card to compensate for his mistake.
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“I became angry and insulted Zlatan. It was not smart.
“The other incident was in training. We were close to fighting.
“But Zlatan was annoyed that day. He likes guys like me, who have character, and we are friends now.”
SNUB NOT SUB
After missing out on France’s 2018 World Cup squad, Rabiot was absolutely fuming with manager Didier Deschamps.
So much so that he refused to be included in Les Bleus’ standby list in case of injuries.
Deschamps probably didn’t mind the “huge mistake” too much, though, as he guided his country to glory in Russia.
Rabiot finally returned to the team in 2020.
AD ENOUGH
Thomas Tuchel is a stickler for timings.
So when Kylian Mbappe and Rabiot turned up late to a pre-match team meeting in October 2018, the then-PSG boss dropped them to the bench.
RESERVE JUDGEMENT
Rabiot could not agree a new PSG contract due to a row over wages in December of the same year as his future appeared to be away from the Parc des Princes.
As a result, he was banished from Tuchel’s team and forced to train with the reserves.
The midfielder appealed to the French FA to get him reinstated back among the first team.
His mother Veronique said: “My son is a hostage of the club, he will soon live in prison on bread and water.”
ONE-CLUB MAN
There was only one club in Rabiot’s heart as Manchester United knocked his PSG side out of the Champions League three months later.
Unfortunately for grieving PSG players and fans, that was the nightclub.
Rabiot was filmed partying just hours after the European exit – and made things worse by liking Patrice Evra’s post about the United win.
He was banned for two weeks as sporting director Antero Henrique blasted: “I find unacceptable the attitude and lack of professionalism of a player like Adrien Rabiot towards the club, his team-mates and his supporters.”
Ouch.
Rabiot eventually left PSG after nine years that summer to join Juventus, where things calmed down a fair bit.
VER-Y UNHAPPY
Before a transfer gets over the line, United will have to successfully navigate negotiations with Rabiot’s mum Veronique.
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It is safe to say she is a fiery character, and one you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.
Just ask Mbappe’s dad Wilfried who was confronted by Veronique after his son missed the crucial penalty against Switzerland that knocked France out of Euro 2020.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
