Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended by the Serie A club after he tested positive for testosterone.
The Frenchman was brought on as a second-half substitute in Juve’s 1-1 draw at home to Bologna on August 27 and in the 2-0 win away to Empoli on September 3.
The former Manchester United player has since not played for Juventus following a back injury, as confirmed by Juve’s head coach Massimiliano Allegri.
The 2018 World Cup winner will be suspended as a precaution and will undergo a counter-analysis which will take place in three days.
Paul Pogba was one of the players that the club deemed fit to take the doping test and results showed that there was some level of elevated testosterone.
Paul Pogba will now be hoping that a second test – which is mandatory – will prove his innocence before it can be said he has failed the doping test.
Since the Frenchman returned from Manchester United in the summer, he has had a disastrous spell at Juventus and had not featured in many games due to injury.
He faced another problem again last week when he pulled up with another muscular injury in Juventus’ 2-0 victory over Empoli.
Paul Pogba was one of the players that was targeted by the Saudi Arabian side following their massive signing of top-class players.
Al-Ittihad, who wanted the midfielder, had already signed N’Golo Kante from Chelsea, and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.
They looked to add Pogba to the list alongside other footballers that have been enticed to the Kingdom this summer, but the deal did not materialize.
Paul Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba, a French professional football player who plays for both the France national team and Juventus, was born on March 15, 1993.
He typically plays in the center of midfield, but he can also be used as a left winger, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, or deep-lying playmaker.
Pogba, who was raised in Lagny-sur-Marne, first joined the Ligue 2 club Le Havre’s youth program in 2007. Two years later, a drawn-out transfer process led him to Manchester United.
Limited opportunities forced him to leave Manchester United two years after starting his professional career there. He joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2012.
There, he helped the team win four straight Serie A championships as well as two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana championships.
Pogba solidified his position as one of the most promising young players in the world during his time in Italy, where he also won the Golden Boy Award in 2013 and the Bravo Award in 2014.
After guiding Juventus to their first UEFA Champions League Final in 12 years in 2015, Pogba was nominated to the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year and the 2015 FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2016.
