“Paul Pogba hasn’t played for a long time”: Thiago Motta remains mysterious about the Frenchman’s return to Juve

Will Paul Pogba resume his career at Juventus Turin? Thiago Motta answered this question using the past tense. The Juve coach’s statements on Saturday, the day after his suspension for doping was reduced to eighteen months, seem to indicate that the Piedmont club is not planning its future with the 2018 world champion.

“The club will assess the situation and, if necessary, make a decision. As far as I’m concerned, Paul Pogba was a great player, he hasn’t played for a long time,” Motta said in a press conference on the eve of the matchday 7 match against Cagliari.

The CAS took into account Pogba’s explanations

Pogba initially received a four-year suspension, a sanction reduced to eighteen months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seized by the French international. The CAS therefore took into account the explanations of Pogba and his entourage who had put forward the thesis of accidental contamination via a food supplement prescribed by a doctor consulted in the United States.

“La Pioche” made his last appearance on a football field on September 3, 2023 for an Italian Championship match against Empoli. The previous season, that of his return to Juventus after a long spell at Manchester United (2016-22), he had only played ten matches in all competitions due to a knee injury which had deprived him of the World-2022.

In his absence, Juve finished 3rd in the Italian Championship last season. Coached by Motta since this summer, Juve got off to an excellent start (2nd in Serie A) thanks in particular to a midfield reinforced by the summer arrivals of Khéphren Thuram, Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz.