Paul Pogba had a tough start to his second spell at Juventus.
The French midfielder has faced a lengthy period out of the game since joining the Old Signora from Manchester United on a free transfer last summer, six years after he first left Turin.
Pogba underwent an X-ray examination that revealed damage to the lateral meniscus after starting in a pre-season friendly match against Guadalajara in July, which effectively ruled him out of the fight for several months.
The 29-year-old will have to wait patiently even if he misses the Qatar World Cup, but finally he was deemed fit enough to be included in the Juventus squad for the first time against Serie A newcomers Monza last Sunday.
In the end, Pogba watched helplessly from the bench as the “Old Signora” suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat, condemning them to 13th place in the table.
Both the club and the player are waiting for other bad news, because now Pogba seems to have suffered a flexor injury.
The injury will rule out the chances of the mysterious midfielder making his second bow at the Stadio delle Alpi in the foreseeable future, as Pogba is likely to miss Juventus’ cup match with Lazio and their next league match against Salernitana at least.
Juve manager Max Allegri spoke about Pogba’s injury during the pre-match press conference before the game with Lazio.
“Tomorrow I will make a decision on the composition. Apart from [Leonardo] Bonucci, the only other player who is unavailable is Pogba, who had flexor problems.
“Many players are dealing with long-term injuries. [Federico] Chiesa has been out for 10 months and Pogba has not played since April.
It takes time to get back in shape. As it happened with Chiesa, who had to stop and start over.
“Pogba takes time, no one can work miracles. His body has to adapt. We have to use him wisely and at the right moment when he is in shape.”
Pogba has won Serie A in each of his four seasons in Italy, and his return to Turin was long-awaited for the Bianconeri fans.
His absence was a huge loss for the Old Lady, as they struggled to find any semblance of form this season.
Given the current state of affairs, Juventus fans will pray that this new setback does not delay him for long.
