Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been in the headlines a lot this month after his doping ban was reduced from four years to 18 months.
The Frenchman, who joined the Reds for a then club record fee of £89 million, scored 39 goals and notched 48 assists in 226 appearances in a second stint at Old Trafford. Pogba had spoken out about his relationship with Jose Mourinho in recent weeks, having played some of his best football under the Portuguese boss before their relationship turned sour, broke his silence on his ban, and given updates on his future after leaving United to re-join Juventus back in 2022.
Injury kept him out for the majority of the 2022–23 campaign after leaving Old Trafford, and he’d make just two appearances for the Old Lady last season before being suspended and then banned by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in February after a drugs test found elevated levels of testosterone in his body.
The original four year ban was reduced after the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his ingestion of a banned substance “was not intentional”. Pogba has maintained his innocence stating he’s “not a cheat” in an interview with Sky Sports earlier this month.
Here Manchester Evening News looks at all the latest headlines involving Pogba and what his future might hold.
Breaking silence on ban and wanting to quit Man United
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Pogba sensationally claimed he wanted to quit Man United with his heart not in the project. He said: “I will tell you something I’ve never told anyone. The year Jose went and Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] came, it was my best season at United but after the last game I told Ole and Ed Woodward that I thought it was my last year and that I wanted to leave.
“I was 27 back then, it didn’t work out the way I wanted. I gave my best but I didn’t see the club going upwards. Manchester City and Liverpool were better than us and they were improving.
“Ole said yes (to me leaving) and that he would talk to Ed. My head was already that I wanted to go but I came back for pre-season because I wanted to be professional.
“I spoke to Ed to try to make a move but he blocked it. I didn’t want to play for United anymore but I had to be professional. Mentally I wasn’t there and then I got the injuries.”
‘I’m not a cheater’
The former Manchester United midfielder has accepted responsibility for the ban but insists he’s no cheater.
“This is not me, I’m not a cheater,” Pogba told Sky Sports as he defended himself earlier this month. “I’m someone that loves my sport, I love the game and I would never, ever cheat. I like to win fairly.
“I’m a bad loser but I’m not a cheater. I take some responsibility because I took the supplement.
“I didn’t triple check, let’s say it like that, even if it came from a professional. If I have to be punished, I am fine with it, but it should never be four years.”
Pogba’s nine word message
The former Manchester United playmaker has sent a nine-word message after landing a new role. The 31-year-old, who is still under contract at Juventus despite his ban, has now been signed up to feature in the upcoming release ‘4 Zeros’, where he will play a youth team football coach.
The talented Frenchman has not played football since September 2023, during a 2-0 win for the Serie A giants against Empoli, but could return to action before the end of the campaign.
“Super happy to appear in the movie 4 Zero,” Pogba wrote on Instagram. Having gained over 700,000 likes on his post, it is clear to see the effect the former United man still has within the media and on the footballing world.
His ‘nightmare’ relationship with Jose Mourinho
The Manchester United graduate says he and Mourinho were like boyfriend and girlfriend during their time at Old Trafford after speaking about the pair’s relationship.
Pogba said: “Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend; we were breaking up and making up all the time. It started great; he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him, and he convinced me to come back.
“I don’t know why it turned into a nightmare and us fighting. Because I wasn’t fighting. I didn’t start the fight. We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him. If I see him tomorrow, it’s a big hug! But one day we will have to sit down together and discuss it.”
Pogba also reflected on how his relationship with Mourinho suddenly soured, saying: “Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho. Everybody sees that, and the next day you don’t know what happened. That’s the strange thing I had with Mourinho. And I cannot explain to you because, even me, I don’t know.”
Potential Premier League return
Despite his ban being reduced to 18 months, reports say Juventus are expected to terminate Pogba’s contract. The midfielder is free to resume training in January and make his competitive first appearance in March. However, Fabrizio Romano claims Juventus and Pogba are set to part ways by mutual consent.
It means he would be able to sign for a club on a free transfer with increased speculation about a return to the Premier League. In an interview with Sky Sports, Pogba did not rule out a move back to England, over two years since leaving United.
He said: “I am at Juventus, I am still under contract, this is where I am. I will see with them what they are thinking, my vision is to come back training and show that I am a football player, a new Paul Pogba, but Paul Pogba with the same qualities, and that I am still ready, that is all I’m thinking of.”