Last summer, AS Monaco took a gamble on reviving Paul Pogba’s career. But the midfielder, plagued by physical problems, has hardly played. And ASM did not expect that…
The return of the real Paul Pogba is still awaited. Having arrived in Monaco during the summer transfer window, the 2018 World Cup winner has played only three Ligue 1 matches, with just 30 minutes of playing time. The 32-year-old midfielder, who has been out of action for two years following his suspension for doping, is struggling to regain his ideal physical condition.
Monaco had expected Pogba to play more
On the sidelines of the presentation of Belgian defender Wout Faes, the Monegasque club’s sporting director, Thiago Scuro, acknowledged on Wednesday that the situation was not going according to plan. ‘It is clear that the programme and plan for Paul are not working as we had hoped at the outset,’ the manager admitted at a press conference.
The former Turin player’s return to competition has been delayed for a long time due to physical problems. It was not until 22 November and five minutes of play against Rennes (1-4) that ‘La Pioche’ was seen back on the pitch. He then played four minutes against PSG (1-0) on 29 November, followed by 21 minutes in Brest (0-1) on 5 December. This third appearance in Brittany was his last.
T. Scuro – ‘If it doesn’t work…’
With an injury to his calf, Pogba must continue to be patient. ‘The plan is constantly changing depending on the situation we have to deal with,’ added Scuro. “As you know, there’s nothing very serious, but few players have suffered so many injuries to different parts of their body. It’s quite a difficult process. But we’re continuing to work to give him what we agreed on this summer when he signed.”
For the moment, terminating his contract is not an option: “We continue to believe in our plan and are implementing it, even if it’s taking longer than expected. He also believes in himself and is confident he’ll make a comeback. You always have two options. The first is that it works out and he can soon make an impact on the pitch. If it doesn’t work out, both sides can sit down and have a discussion about where we go from here. But now is not the time to have that discussion.” Monaco and Pogba are giving themselves a little more time.
