Paul Pogba is finding joy in his new surroundings in Monaco, despite facing a setback that dashed his hopes of returning for the Champions League match against Tottenham.
The former Manchester United player joined the Ligue 1 team in June after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his four-year doping suspension to 18 months, allowing him to resume his career in March.
Pogba was suspended by Juventus for testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone in 2023. He consistently asserted his innocence and successfully appealed, with the CAS ruling that the use of the banned substance was “unintentional.”
He was expected to make his debut for Monaco and play for the first time in over two years against Angers on Saturday but encountered another fitness problem. However, the new coach Sebastien Pocognoli believes there is hope for the 32-year-old.
“Paul is training but not at full capacity,” Pocognoli commented before the upcoming match against Spurs on Wednesday. “He joined the group for the first time under my direction on Monday.”
“He was smiling, enjoying himself, and interacting with teammates. This is our first step, and it may take days or a couple of weeks to build on this with performance and consistency. So yes, this is the start, and I’m very happy to see him on the pitch.”
Pocognoli, who took over the managerial role on October 11, will make his home debut at Stade Louis II against Tottenham.
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Pocognoli will be without Eric Dier who is sidelined with a hamstring injury but reminisced about his only encounter with Tottenham back in 2014.
“I played against Spurs in their old stadium, coached by [Mauricio] Pochettino. I faced my former teammates Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembele there. It was a great atmosphere, and we won 1-0,” recalled Pocognoli.
Also present at the pre-match media event was Monaco forward Maghnes Akliouche, who had been linked with a move to Tottenham over the summer.
“It felt great to be linked with such interest, but I am focused on being a Monaco player and giving my all against Tottenham,” the 23-year-old said. “As for the Premier League in my future… who knows? My priority remains on the game on Wednesday.”
“Our main focus is to win. I’m not paying attention to other rumors or pressures.”