Still plagued by injuries, Paul Pogba hasn’t played since early December, and his return to the pitch seems far from imminent. His brother, Mathias Pogba, shared updates on the situation, which are hardly reassuring.
The midfielder’s attempt to get back into action with AS Monaco has turned into a nightmare. After a two-year absence due to a doping suspension, Pogba struggled to regain his rhythm in training. His body, subjected to intense rehabilitation, hasn’t responded as hoped. Early in October, a thigh issue slowed his comeback, followed by ankle and calf injuries in mid-December. In the meantime, he managed to play a few minutes in Ligue 1.
Since December 5, he hasn’t been seen on the field, and his return is becoming increasingly uncertain. AS Monaco has even removed him from their Champions League roster, and Pogba himself doesn’t know when he can resume training without pain.
“Mentally, it’s tough”
Mathias Pogba opened up to RMC and expressed the frustration felt by the entire family. “Mentally, it’s tough. Not just for him, but for all of us. I told him he wouldn’t be able to come back at 100% right away: ‘It’s been a long time since you played.’ We hoped for better, but this is the reality, both on the field and for the body,” he explained.
The former player knows how much time it takes to return to competition. “The body wasn’t used to that pace, to those intense training sessions and matches. We’re not robots. When you come back, you have to take it step by step, otherwise the body sends signals. That’s exactly what’s happening to him,” he continued. According to him, the hardest part for Paul is the psychological aspect: “It’s more mentally exhausting. You have a lot of anticipation, excitement, and then you get another stab in the back with the latest injury. You have to bounce back again and again.”
For Mathias Pogba, there’s no secret: patience and hard work are essential. “You just have to be patient, plain and simple,” he insists.
A recovery “day by day”
As for the future, nothing is guaranteed. Will we see the 2018 World Champion back on the Ligue 1 pitch, or even in professional competition? Even his brother is cautious: “We’ve always lived day by day. There’s no projection beyond this season.” Pogba is under contract until 2027, but his rehabilitation remains the priority. “We send him messages of encouragement. After that, it’s up to him to manage. He’s a big boy, he’s known this environment for years,” Mathias concluded.
