Indeed, Pogba’s return to Turin has been one big and long disappointment so far, with one setback after another due to injury and more.
Injury issues
“Paul has returned to Turin. He left as a boy and came back as a man and a champion, but one thing has not changed: the desire to write unforgettable pages of club history together again. Pogba is back and we are happy.”
This official statement, confirming Pogba’s return to Juventus last summer, perfectly captured the excitement surrounding the free transfer.
And that was understandable, to a certain extent. Juventus paid nothing to re-sign the player who was sold to Manchester United in 2016 for a record £89m ($100m).
He too was only 29 years old. The hope was that the Bianconeri would get at least two more stellar seasons from Pogba, who had produced the best football of his club career during his first spell at Turin. However, there were two main doubts surrounding the deal.
Firstly, Pogba has not joined Juventus with the same level of quality he had when he left the club, and Paul’s ability to shine without the world-class players around him has long been a cause for concern. .
Secondly, and more importantly, Pogba’s recent injuries at Old Trafford are concerning.
In the last three seasons at Manchester, he has been relegated eight times due to injuries and various illnesses. His last appearance for United came in April last year, when they lost 4-0 to Liverpool.
So there was a legitimate question mark over Pogba’s fitness and it didn’t take long for us to get an answer…
Very controversial appeal
Pogba officially returned to Juve on July 11. Less than two weeks later, he broke down in training ahead of a pre-season friendly against Barcelona in Dallas.
“After Paul Pogba complained of pain in his right knee, he underwent an X-ray examination, which revealed a lateral meniscus injury,” the club explained. “In the next few hours, he will have to consult an orthopedic specialist. Therefore, in order to continue his treatment, he does not participate in a trip to Dallas.
It turned out he wouldn’t feature in either of Juventus’ two remaining friendlies in the United States, playing just 45 minutes at the end against Chivas de Guadalajara.
Instead, he returned to Italy on July 23 for further examinations, then flew to Lyon on August 1 to see a knee specialist. He made a highly controversial call the following day, refusing to have surgery and instead opting for more “conservative” therapy.
Allegri’s public response to Pogba’s decision was eye-opening. “What do I think? I didn’t expect it to be like this, but I’m not a doctor. Conservative therapy accepted, in five to six weeks he will be able to enter the pitch. He must be sure of himself It was a decision, and then we’ll see if it’s fair or not,” he added. he later told reporters.
Pogba’s state of mind was clear: he wanted to play in the World Cup and did not want to jeopardize his participation in Qatar 2022 by having surgery.
However, this turned out to be a very costly error of judgement, a gamble that failed…
Pogba’s brother and his blackmail attempt
A month of such “conservative” treatment did not bring the expected result, and on September 3, Pogba underwent a belated knee operation.
“The operation went very well, I will recover and come back very, very quickly,” he promised in a post on the social network. “I wanted to thank you all for your messages, for your support. Know that psychologically I am well, despite all the worries, injuries and other problems.
These other problems were not insignificant. Indeed, it’s important to note that Pogba’s battle with injuries unfolded against the backdrop of a devastating family drama.
On August 28, Pogba’s brother Matias uploaded a video promising ‘explosive’ revelations about the midfielder and his agent Rafael Pimente.
“French, Italian, English and Spanish audiences deserve to know certain things,” said Matias Pogba. “In principle, the whole world, including my brother’s fans, France, Juventus and his sponsors, should be informed and make an informed decision whether he deserves the respect and love of the fans; if he deserves to play for Juventus and to enter the France team for the World Cup. I think what I am about to say will affect many people. I will say important things about Kylian Mbappe. Many witnesses confirm what I am about to say. say. It could be explosive.”
Pogba’s legal team immediately confirmed what they already knew about the allegations, including that the player had hired a shaman to put a spell on fellow French international Mbappé and explained that they were linked to a crime network organized in a case of extortion.
Pogba has previously told French police that on March 19 last year in Paris, two hooded men armed with submachine guns threatened him and, among other things, confiscated his mobile phone and ordered him to pay 11 million pounds ($14 million). Pogba also turned to the Italian authorities after further threats and intimidation in Turin.
Four people, including Matthias, were eventually arrested on September 14, although the former attacker was released from prison on December 23.
World Championship
After Pogba finally went under the knife, he was expected to miss eight weeks.
However, immediately after returning to training on October 19, Pogba developed a thigh problem just above his weakened right knee, casting doubt on his fitness for the World Cup.
The bad news was finally confirmed on October 31: “After yesterday and today’s medical examinations in Turin and Pittsburgh, it is very painful to announce that Paul will still need time to recover from an operation. For this reason, Paul will not be able to join neither Juventus before the World Cup break, nor the France team in Qatar. If wishful thinking could make a difference, Paul would play tomorrow. But what makes the difference is hard work, resilience and discipline, and those are the only things Paul is thinking about in these difficult times. Paul will continue to work, doing his best to get back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible.”
another wound
During the World Cup, Pogba spent time in Milan working closely with the club’s physiotherapist, doing numerous exercises in the pool and gym as part of a personalized rehabilitation programme.
However, when asked before Christmas about Pogba’s possible appearance in Juventus’ first game since the international break against Cremonese, Allegri admitted he was still unsure when the Frenchman might return.
Pogba finally returned to the squad on January 10 and went on to score twice in a friendly against reserve team Juventus.
On January 28, Allegri revealed in a press conference that Pogba was finally available for selection and included Paul in the squad for the Serie A game against Monza in Turin the following day.
However, Pogba spent the whole game on the bench and immediately it was reported that he picked up another injury during the warm-up.
Do you lack patience?
At first glance, Allegri supported the player. “It takes time to get back into shape. Pogba needs time. No one can do miracles. His body has to adapt. It must be used wisely and at the right time when it is in good shape. — said the coach of Juventus on February 2.
However, Allegri was visibly annoyed by all these questions and the constant speculation about Pogba’s fitness.
It was also alleged in the Italian press that in October the former Juventus board – all of whom resigned the following month amid an investigation into the club’s finances – tried to cancel some bonuses agreed in Pogba’s contract due to his lingering injury. problems.
Some fans also grew frustrated with Pogba’s actions off the pitch when he was off the pitch. There was speculation that he could have done more to get back on the playing field, especially after posting a photo of himself on the ski slope on December 27.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, after being unable to take the pitch at Monza, a story emerged in the Italian press alleging Pogba had privately promised the club he would not think of leaving even if Turin failed to enter. in the Champions League next season.
It was both an attempt to win back the fans and, perhaps more importantly, an attempt to convince Juventus, once again linked with the summer transfer of Sergei Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio, that Turintsy could still count. on him.
However, as Juventus legend Gigi Buffon said many years ago, the only thing that matters is what happens on the pitch. Conversations in Turin don’t matter. The only thing that matters to this club is winning and Juve will only retain their faith in Pogba if he proves he can help achieve the goal.
It is therefore arguably the most important moment of the season in Pogba’s career.
Having been named for Tuesday’s game against Torino, it is now up to him to prove before the end of the 2022-23 season that not only can he stay fit, but he can still be the player who once a week surprised Juventus fans.
It’s really the only way for Pogba to get out of this ongoing nightmare.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
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Source: Sport
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
