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Manchester United star Paul Pogba helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity and made a young fan's dream come true by donating money for him to become a mascot.

The 24-year-old put up a 'huge amount of money' in an auction for the Manchester United Foundation to give Samuel, an inspirational United supporter who has cerebral palsy, the opportunity to lead the players onto the pitch next season.

The incredible gesture at the Player of the Year Awards was revealed on MUTV by presenter Andy Goldstein. He said: "Paul Pogba put up a huge amount of money for Samuel to be mascot next season."

Pogba's kind donation meant that the event raised in excess of £140,000 for the good cause. An anonymous donor also donated £12,000 on the night, host Mark Chapman revealed.

A video of 11-year-old Samuel meeting his United heroes went viral on social media in February and even caught the eye of former City star Mario Balotelli.

He wrote on Instagram: "You all know I'm not a United fan, but a city fan for life. But, this video goes more far than just football and is amazing. We have power and we need to use it for these reasons."

The video shows Samuel, who cannot walk unaided due to his condition, playing in net for his school team at Manchester Creative and Media Academy in Blackley.

The school is a partner of Manchester United Foundation and Samuel was nominated by his Foundation coach to receive a series of surprises.

In the video Samuel said that playing football is difficult because his body gets stiff but the inspirational youngster doesn't let that deter him and instead plays in net on his knees.

Samuel’s message to others is: “United show good emotions that they can keep going no matter what. So that’s what I say to myself: ‘Never, never, never give up.’ I’m in a wheelchair and I never give up. Just try. Try your hardest.”

Last November, United manager Mourinho auctioned off his watch as a last-minute lot at the United for Unicef gala dinner. The watch, plus a collection of other items donated by the Portuguese, raised over £30,000 alone - and helped the event as a whole raise an incredible £215,000.

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