Dramatic footage emerged on Tuesday of the world's most expensive footballer having a plate thrown at him at a curry house after he allegedly refused to sign an autograph.

Paul Pogba, who earns £290,000 a week at Manchester United, was backed into a corner and accused of insulting fans who wanted him to sign his name.

And two men appeared to want to take on the 23-year-old Premier League midfielder at Akbar's restaurant in Manchester as friends and staff held them back.

The shocking incident last Monday at about 11.40pm prompted police to be called, but officers did not attend after things calmed down, reported The Sun.

One onlooker told the newspaper's journalist Sean Paul Doran: 'The lads were furious that Pogba had the nerve to say no to their request for an autograph.

'But Pogba was enjoying a quiet meal with friends and felt uncomfortable with the attention. They were desperately trying to square up to him.

'As the world's most expensive footballer, he's an easy target for lads trying to show off like that. He dealt with it very well.'

Pogba signed for Manchester United for a world-record £89million last August, surpassing the £85million Real Madrid paid Tottenham for Gareth Bale in 2013.

The Frenchman's return came four years after he had left United for £1.5million. Boss Jose Mourinho said he could be 'the heart of the club' for the next decade.

Pogba is known to be friends with Usain Bolt, and the two partied in Manchester in December after the footballer scored a late winner against Middlesbrough.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'Officers were called to reports of a disturbance in a restaurant in Liverpool Road, Manchester, just after 11.40pm on Monday, February 20.

'When an officer called back, the line got cut off. When the officer did get through, the people involved in the disturbance had already dispersed. No further complaints were made after that.'

Akbar's is a popular curry chain that has 12 outlets across the Midlands and northern England, with the Manchester branch in the trendy Castlefield district.