Monaco release Pogba after injury-plagued spell

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Former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will be released by Monaco after a series of injuries, the French club said on Wednesday.

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Pogba, 33, won the World Cup with France in 2018 but, since serving a ban for doping, has struggled to return to the elite level.

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Monaco said in a statement that the objectives they had set for Pogba were “only partially achieved” and the Ligue 1 club were, therefore, ending his contract that would have run until June 2027.

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Pogba is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, just after returning from a knee problem.

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Monaco paid tribute to the player’s “remarkable mindset, determination and unwavering high standards” and said even when injured, he had had a positive influence on the Monaco squad by “sharing his experience and know-how” with the other players.

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In that same statement, Pogba acknowledged that he had not “played as many matches” for Monaco as he had hoped — he only featured in six Ligue 1 games last season, for a total of 115 minutes on the pitch.

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He thanked the “president, management, teammates, all the staff as well as all the supporters who believed.”

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Pogba made 233 appearances in two stints at Manchester United and was voted the Serie A Player of the Year while at Juventus, where he won the Italian title four times.

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He was a key part of the France team that won the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

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But he tested positive for testosterone in 2023 while playing for Juventus, and despite his claims that the drug was contained in a food supplement prescribed by a doctor in the United States, he was given a four-year ban.

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After an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the ban was cut to 18 months.

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After serving the ban, he joined Monaco last year.

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AFP

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