SINGAPORE - If you were in the Marina Bay area on Sunday afternoon (July 21), chances are you probably caught a glimpse of a Manchester United player.
The English Premier League side painted the town red a day after defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in the International Champions Cup (ICC), with players making appearances at a number of public events in Singapore's downtown centre.
The Red Devils' French midfield star Paul Pogba held court at an Adidas event at the Marina Bay Floating Platform, along with teammates Juan Mata and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Contrary to reports in England that he is seeking an exit from the club, the 26-year-old Pogba was in charming mood interacting with the fans.
While he was the only member of the trio not to take questions from the press before the event, his body language once he was up on stage, in front of over 200 adoring United supporters, suggested he was more than happy.
He was all smiles when he took part in two challenges alongside local football icon Fandi Ahmad and freestyle football artist Terence Ong from the Urban Street Team.
First, the trio were tasked to juggle a rattan "sepak takraw" ball, and Pogba fully immersed himself in the task, seen asking Fandi beforehand what the sport entails.
Later, the three had to come up with a routine to show off skills on the ball - and their creative performance earned the loudest cheers, beating out efforts from Mata and Wan-Bissaka's trios, that featured Adidas-endorsed Singapore players Shahdan Sulaiman, Jacob Mahler and Christopher van Huizen.
Fandi, who had met Pogba once before when the Frenchman was part of the Juventus side who played a friendly with a Singapore selection team in 2014, said: "We had fun out there, and it looked like Pogba really enjoyed himself.
"I know from before that he's a humble, nice guy, and he was very enthusiastic when we were about to do the challenges, coming up with ideas on what we could do."
Pogba also joshed his teammate Mata - when asked on stage by the emcee what advice he had for aspiring young footballers - he replied "follow Juan Mata", before bursting out in laughter.
The United players who made appearances at other events appeared similarly at ease.
Goalkeeper David de Gea, also reported over the last few months to be mulling a future away from Old Trafford, sent a positive signal when he made an appearance at a meet-and-greet hosted by United's official vision partner, sunglasses and eyewear brand Maui Jim at the Fullerton Hotel.
Also at the event were defenders Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot.
"I am the one of the oldest and most experienced players in the team now and I have to show it on the pitch and help the young guys to know what Manchester United means, and that (role) is important," said the 28-year-old Spanish shot-stopper.
De Gea even added that it would be "amazing" if he were appointed captain of the club - a permanent skipper has not been officially announced after the departure of Antonio Valencia at the end of the season - and said he would be "very happy" to wear the armband.
Elsewhere, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Marcos Rojo attended an event at Suntec City's North Atrium, together with United ambassador Denis Irwin, as part of an event staged by Maybank.
Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Eric Bailly were at an event at Clifford Pier, hosted by the club's global partner Chivas Regal.
