Pogba signing ‘great’ for Monaco and Ligue 1 as whole – Dier
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Since joining Monaco in the summer, Paul Pogba has played just 30 minutes for the Ligue 1 club. Those who hoped to see him add to that sum in a heated UEFA Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain will be sorely disappointed.
In fact, do not expect to see the 32-year-old in the Champions League at all this season, as Monaco manager Sebastien Pocognoli decided against registering the Frenchman for the knockout phase.
A World Cup winner in 2018 and formerly one of the game’s most sought-after and prized players, the plan for his comeback following a doping ban is beginning to dissolve.
Pogba had to wait until November 22 to make his first appearance for the city state, playing four minutes in a 4-1 loss to Rennes.
Brief, albeit promising, cameos against PSG and Brest followed, but Pogba has since vanished from the scene.
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Why is Pogba not playing against PSG?
After making three Ligue 1 appearances, things were beginning to look hopeful for both club and player.
Pogba was set to steadily increase his playing time, and Monaco were optimistic their gamble might finally pay off.
But ahead of a European clash with Galatasaray in December, Pogba injured his knee during the warm-ups.
Then, on December 13 – the day before a league match with Marseille – he injured his calf. He has not appeared for Monaco since.
As well as struggling for fitness, the calf injury was already his third of the season. Muscle problems in his thigh ruled him out of October, and then a sprained ankle on October 31 in training delayed his return even further.
Even the most bullish supporters will have admitted his chances of returning to a high level of football after such a long time away from the game were unlikely.
The prospect of him making France’s World Cup squad was even more far-fetched.
As his physical problems accumulate, his brother Mathias Pogba revealed how frustrating the situation has been for the former French international since joining the club.
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“It’s frustrating, not just for him but for everyone in the family,” Mathias explained.
“I told him he couldn’t come back at 100% right away. We expected more from his return. Reality caught up with him. His body wasn’t used to that kind of high-intensity rhythm anymore.
“We’re not robots. When you come back, you have to take it slowly, otherwise it sends you signals. That’s exactly what’s happening to him.”
Even Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro has admitted that the plan for Pogba is not working after having just 30 minutes of competitive football under his belt.
“The programme and the plan for Paul is not working the way we expected in the beginning,” Scuro explained in January.
“He is very disturbed by the fact that he is struggling. He wants to be more available, to increase the minutes on the pitch.”
“If it does not work, for sure the parties can sit down in the summer and try to have another discussion, where do we go?
“It’s not the moment to have this discussion because we are engaged in trying to find the solution and bring him back.”
What happened to Paul Pogba?
When he rejoined Manchester United from Juventus in 2016, Pogba became the world’s most expensive footballer in a record-breaking £89 million move.
He won the UEFA Europa League and League Cup during his time at Old Trafford and earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year with his performances in the 2018/19 campaign.
After six years in Manchester, Pogba returned to Turin, but injuries hampered his second spell with the Italian giants, and then a failed drugs test led to him being released.
After testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), the France international was handed a four-year suspension.This was reduced to 18 months on appeal, and Monaco stepped in to offer him a way back into the game.
But at the moment, it continues to be a frustrating time for Pogba.
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