Pogba risks another month off, Juventus annoyed

There are seasons that start badly and risk ending up worse. Paul Pogba’s is as if it had never begun, because except for a couple of catwalks on the pitch and one appearance on the bench from him, only his absences are remembered.

The most recent in the Europa League with Freiburg, for disciplinary reasons (he showed up late in training camp), a variation on the theme with respect to the standard reason, injuries. The umpteenth stop came in finishing yesterday morning, after Massimiliano Allegri had announced his call-up for Sampdoria: “Pogba is available,” said the coach. He wouldn’t have played as a starter but would still have been useful in the current match. Instead he stopped again due to an adductor problem and this morning he will be evaluated: the tests will clarify the extent of the new muscle problem. There are fears of a strain, which could keep him out for another month.

WAIT AT THE MAX

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“While he was taking free-kicks he felt an annoyance and stopped – said Allegri -. The other day he had done a good workout, he could give us a hand. But we wait for it, it’s a year like this anyway, these things happen in life too. He must be good and strong to get up and want to be the player he was before again.”

THE LONG CALVARY

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What is certain is that the season of his relaunch has turned into an ordeal, for him and for Juventus. Pogba missed 34 out of 37 games, playing just 35 minutes. He has been called up three times and once (with Monza) he was on the bench for 90′. It all started with the injury to the external meniscus of the right knee at the end of July, during the tour in the USA, and from there it was a succession of wrong choices (such as not wanting to have surgery immediately to try conservative therapy), late operations, relapses and lightness off the field (like when he made a video in the mountains while he was injured).

WORRY AND DISCOMFORT

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It goes without saying that Juve are not only worried but also annoyed. That Pogba was not intact could be understood from his last seasons at United, plagued by injuries. However, the Juventus club had decided to invest in him by taking advantage of the opportunity on a free transfer, guaranteeing him a rich and long contract: the Octopus earns 8 million euros plus 2 in bonuses for 4 years (until 2026), the same amount that Juventus had decided to correspond with Dybala before changing their mind, not renewing his contract. Among the reasons for the divorce from Joya there was also (and above all) his fragility, the paradox is that the Argentine has been replaced by a much more fugitive. Pogba was supposed to be the symbol of the new Juve but at the moment it is an unknown factor, also for the future.

BONUS TO CUT

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The old management had tried an approach with the player to give up at least the team bonuses, those that take everyone even without playing, without however obtaining any opening. The new one could return to office, especially if this stop were to be long. As for next season, it must be taken into account that if Paul leaves after just one year, Juve would lose the benefits of the Growth Decree. However, if Pogba will continue to be unavailable more often than not, he and the club will have to sit down at the end of the season to try and find a solution that works for everyone.