Paul Pogba picks up another injury, will miss up to a month
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba picked up yet another injury while training, forcing the Frenchman out of action for up to a month. The knock happened while practicing free kicks in the build up to this past Sunday’s game against Sampdoria. Pogba was meant to feature in that squad, but manager Massimiliano Allegri did not pick the player.
According to Italian journalist Fabiana Della Valle, the adductor injury could keep Pogba out for at least 20 days. However, more severe estimates say up to 30 days. That keeps Pogba out of Juventus games against Freiburg in the Europa League, Inter in both the league and cup and potentially an away game at Lazio.
Juventus fans are now, unfortunately, accustomed to missing out on Pogba. He only made his return to Juventus from Manchester United over the summer. However, since then, he only played in two games. Both of those were substitute appearances in Serie A. The previous instances of time missed stemmed from a knee injury that required surgery. He picked that up before the season, and only made his return to play in late February.
Of course, his most recent time out came due to disciplinary reasons. Pogba was late for a meeting, and Allegri took Pogba out of the squad. Juventus did go on to win the first leg of that Europa League tie, 1-0. However, as stated, the latest Paul Pogba injury rules him out for the return trip to Germany.
Paul Pogba injury woes doing no favors to reeling Juventus
Pogba’s return to Turin was supposed to be a stepping stone for the club to return to the top of Italy. Juventus won the Scudetto each of the four seasons with Pogba in the squad. He left, and just a few years later, the club struggled to maintain its top four position. Now, Pogba’s absence, dips in form and a massive 15-point deduction have the club on the outside looking in for European qualification.
Granted, without the 15-point slap, Juventus would sit second in the table on 53 points after 26 games. Now, on 38 points, Juventus is seventh, 10 points outside the Champions League positions.
Pogba has been absent for 34 of Juventus’s 37 games this season. Lack of playing time has been a theme for Pogba in the recent years in his career. Last season, with Manchester United, he missed 19 games with different injuries. In the 2019/20 season, he missed a whopping 39 games across all competitions with a recurring ankle injury.
PHOTO: IMAGO / NurPhoto