Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to football as he started for Monaco against Metz at the weekend and the former Manchester United star has opened up on his mental turmoil
Paul Pogba has opened up on his mental difficulties as he attempted to find a way back into football. The French midfielder has endured a nightmare time of things since leaving Old Trafford.
Injuries ruined his return to former club Juventus, Pogba making just 12 appearances for the Italian side. He was then provisionally banned in September 2023 after failing a routine drugs test.
Pogba was hit with a four-year ban from the game but that was eventually reduced to 18 months. Now 33, Pogba has attempted to get his career back on track with French side Monaco.
But it has not gone to plan so far, with the midfielder having made just six appearances for his new employers, with injuries having kept him on the sidelines. Having finally made his first start since his ban, Pogba has spoken candidly about how tough he has found his time away from the pitch.
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Speaking with Ligue 1 Plus, he said: “Honestly, there were times when I was like, ‘That’s it, it’s getting on my nerves.’ I do everything, I come, I’m here, and it doesn’t stop, it just keeps going.
“I was thinking, ‘What more do I have to do to avoid all this?’ And actually, it’s about time and patience. You have to have the patience to keep going and not give up.”
Pogba has praised those around him for helping him through the tough times. He added: “I was lucky to have people around me, whether it was my family or close friends, who would say to me, ‘What are you talking about?’ When I see the messages, whether on social media or when I arrive at the stadiums, they applaud.”
Pogba’s future remains up in the air. He has just over a year remaining on his contract at the Stade Louis II but he has vowed that simply starting a game will not satisfy him,
He said: “I can’t stop here. I want to give that love and joy back to the people.”
Speaking earlier this season, Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro admitted talks would be held over his future. He said: “Paul, first of all, was about performance. It is about performance, the first step.
“Paul is a very talented player with a different tier than we are used to having in Ligue 1. He’s coming back from two years without playing – We knew that the challenge to bring him back would be high.
“Of course that he brings also an impact in terms of visibility to the league, to AS Monaco, commercial revenues, all of this. But as we all know, the player must be on the pitch performing for everything to work well. At the end, we started this process in the summer with a very high expectation.”
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