Paul Pogba (33) almost doubled his playing time for AS Monaco when he came off the bench during last Friday’s 4-1 loss to Paris FC, playing for 21 minutes. After signing a two-year contract in the summer, he made his debut in November, but after just three substitute appearances, he faced another setback. A calf injury in early December sidelined him for three additional months. His return against Paris FC last week was a much-anticipated event.
Nonetheless, there are concerns about how Pogba’s body will hold up. La Pioche took part in a full training session on Wednesday, which was open to the media. However, in Friday’s training—where the first 15 minutes were also accessible to the press—he was initially missing.
He did join the session seven minutes after it officially began and trained with his teammates. During the pre-match press conference attended by Get French Football News, Sébastien Pocognoli downplayed any concerns regarding his condition.
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“The only reason you noticed is that you were here today. He had an internal activation to do. Nothing more. He was present at Open Training, and you saw how he performed. The players are fit and available, and everyone has a role to play if they’re able to contribute,” said the Monaco manager. With Lamine Camara suspended for Sunday’s match against AJ Auxerre, Pogba may have the opportunity for more minutes.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting fromMonaco