Paul Pogba’s returns to Juventus have gone from bad to worse as the Italian club left the French midfielder out of the squad that played in the UEFA Europa League against Freiburg due to disciplinary intentions.
The former Manchester United midfielder re-joined the Italian giant on a free transfer last summer, six years after leaving the club for Man United in a deal reportedly worth 89 million pounds.
Unfortunately, his return to Juventus has not been going according to plan due to injuries.
According to reports, the midfielder did not play any part in their Europa League game against Freiburg because he arrived late to link up with the rest of his team-mates, which he already faced criticism for after being spotted on a skiing trip while he was still injured.
On Thursday night, 9th of March, 2023, Juventus host the German club at the Allianz Stadium for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, but Pogba, who has only played 35 minutes this season, did not play as a punishment from Massimiliano Allegri.
Pogba’s season was derailed in the summer due to a serious knee injury that necessitated surgery, and he has since suffered further setbacks due to a thigh muscle strain that he sustained in October.
Fans of the club have already been frustrated by his fitness issues and his reported annual salary of £8.8 million at Turin, so this latest turn of events is likely to infuriate them even more.
Former Juventus defender Marco Tardelli criticized Pogba for being a “big problem” for the club and said the player “annoys him” after seeing photos of him on a ski trip last month.
“The last time Pogba appeared in a game was in April of 2022 when he was still with Manchester,” Tardelli claims.
“Now it’s a problem for Juve because we have no idea when he’ll come back or what he wants to do.”
Pogba has since made two substitute appearances for the Old Lady, the first lasting 21 minutes in February’s 4-2 win over Torino (his second Old Lady debut) and the second lasting 14 minutes in last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Roma.
This latest incident comes on the heels of an already terrible season for Juventus, which saw its entire board resign in November over allegations of fraudulent accounting.
Because of the same scandal, the team lost 15 points in January, dropping them from third to ninth place in Serie A.
After a remarkable four-game winning streak in the league, they are now in seventh place with 35 points. With momentum finally on Allegri’s side, this latest development couldn’t have come at a worse time.
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