If he had chosen another direction, Paul Pogba would have been present in the Manchester City squad facing AS Monaco in the Champions League. Instead, he is waiting for the opportunity to restart his career in Ligue 1, more than 2 years after his most recent official appearance.
Man City had tried to sign Pogba in the summer of 2022, when he left Manchester United as a free agent. Pep Guardiola did not close the door even though he wanted him and Pogba, but the deal eventually failed.
Pogba's career has gone through a series of ups and downs since then. He returned to Juventus, suffered continuous injuries in his first season and then failed a doping test in September 2023.
In March 2024, Pogba received a 4-year suspension, before being reduced to 18 months, thanks to a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That opens up an opportunity for him to return in March 2025.
After leaving Juventus, the 32-year-old midfielder signed a 2-year contract with AS Monaco this summer. However, he has not returned to competition, focusing on regaining his fitness after 759 days of absence. Pogba's last appearance was as a substitute in Juventus' 2-0 win over Empoli.
Monaco has decided to give the French player more time, requiring at least 3 months of training before returning to the first team. Therefore, Pogba will not be on the list for the match against Man City.
"We are closely following his plan. At first, we thought Pogba could be present against Nice, but now it is likely to be postponed to the match against Angers. He is now training more heavily, playing in small games and improving significantly. Hopefully after the international series, he will be ready" - coach Adi Hutter shared.
The big question remains whether Pogba can find his peak form again. He still hopes to return to the French national team for the World Cup next summer, but the road ahead is still far.
Pogba's best version is still a controversial topic. Perhaps his most memorable performance for Manchester United was a double against Man City in the 3-2 win in April 2018, temporarily delaying the opponent's championship. That was also a moment that reminded him of the huge expectations Man United had placed on Pogba when they spent £89.3 million to bring him back from Juventus in 2016.
With impressive physique and skillful technique, Pogba was almost unstoppable in the second half at the Etihad, where Man United came back after falling 0-2. The problem for Jose Mourinho at that time was that the French midfielder rarely maintained that form.
In the summer of 2018, Pogba returned to Old Trafford as world champion, scoring in the final match to help France defeat Croatia. "Red Devils" fans are excited, believing that this is the time for Pogba to explode to lead the team to compete fairly for the Premier League championship.
But Mourinho was tired of his student's inconsistency. At his first press conference after the 2018 World Cup, he frankly shared:
"It's not that we haven't exploited Pogba's potential, it's that he hasn't given his all. At the World Cup, the closed environment for a month helped him focus completely on football. But at the club level, there are big games, there are small games, and it's easy to lose focus."
Pogba burst into tears when signing for Monaco in July, saying he was grateful for the club's trust in him. On social media, Pogba promises a "resurrection".
It's a long journey for the player who was once considered one of the world's top stars. While Monaco are preparing for their Champions League clash with Man City, Pogba are still waiting for a chance to truly return to the big stage.
