As Pogba nears return, Man City's Monaco visit offers glimpse of what might've been

MONACO -- Had Paul Pogba taken a antithetic path, helium mightiness person been portion of the Manchester City squad facing AS Monaco successful the UEFA Champions League connected Wednesday. Instead, he's waiting for a accidental to restart his vocation with the Ligue 1 broadside much than 2 years aft playing his past competitory game.

City were funny successful signing Pogba successful 2022 erstwhile helium near Manchester United connected a escaped transfer. Pep Guardiola was keen and Pogba was unfastened to it, but the determination ne'er materialized.

A batch has happened since.

He yet returned to Juventus aft leaving Old Trafford, suffered a bid of injuries that ruined his archetypal play backmost successful Turin and past failed a drugs test successful September 2023. In March 2024, he was handed a four-year suspension. It was reduced to 18 months aft a palmy entreaty to the Court of Arbitration for Sport allowing the midfielder to instrumentality to enactment successful March 2025.

- Champions League recap: Reds gaffe astatine Gala, Mou returns to Stamford Bridge
- Olley: Chelsea bushed Benfica, but Maresca acold from Mourinho's legacy
- Revisiting each large summertime transfer: Should our expectations change?

After a communal termination of his declaration astatine Juventus, Pogba, present 32, agreed a two-year woody with AS Monaco successful the summer.

He's yet to marque his comeback arsenic helium continues to physique up his fittingness aft a hiatus of 759 days -- helium past saw game-time arsenic a second-half substitute successful a 2-0 triumph for Juventus astatine Empoli. He won't marque the squad to look Man City, with Monaco deciding implicit the summertime that helium needs astatine slightest 3 months connected the grooming transportation earlier being considered for a return.

"We are pursuing his plan," said Monaco caput manager Adi Hütter astatine a quality league connected Tuesday. "We expected him possibly for the crippled against Nice [on Sunday] successful the squad, but I deliberation we person to postpone it for the crippled against Angers maybe.

"At the infinitesimal he's doing much of the warming up, and besides successful small-sided games. Now he's expanding a lot, he's doing good astatine the moment, and I anticipation aft the nationalist squad interruption helium tin beryllium a portion of the squad."

The question remains, erstwhile helium does play again, whether Pogba tin instrumentality to thing similar his best.

He hasn't fixed up anticipation of a recall to the Read Entire Article