Paul Pogba's Juventus debut is delayed AGAIN after injury setback
Paul Pogba’s Juventus debut is delayed AGAIN with Max Allegri confirming the midfielder is suffering from ‘soreness in his flexors’ after returning to the bench against Monza – with the Frenchman STILL yet to play for his new club after summer move
- Juventus will be without Paul Pogba for the Italian Cup quarter-final on Thursday
- The Italian giants had hoped the midfielder would be fit to feature against Lazio
- He has been suffering a serious knee injury and was in the squad against Monza
Paul Pogba’s nightmare start to life at Juventus continued this week, as Max Allegri confirmed the midfielder had suffered yet another injury setback ahead of his side’s Italian Cup quarter-final against Lazio on Thursday.
Still yet to make his Juventus debut since securing a free transfer to Turin last summer, the French star has been suffering from a serious knee injury – missing both the start of the Serie A season and the World Cup finals in Qatar.
Keen to leave the injury issues in his wake, Pogba returned to the bench during Juventus’ shock 2-0 home defeat by Monza last weekend.
But the former Manchester United star was not risked by Allegri and remained an unused substitute throughout the match, as Juventus slipped to 13th in the division following their 15-point deduction for the club’s transfer dealings.
Ahead of his side’s crucial clash with Lazio, Allegri admitted during a press conference: ‘Apart from the long-term absentee (Leonardo) Bonucci, Pogba will not be there due to soreness in his flexors. (Dusan) Vlahovic? He should play from the start.’
Paul Pogba’s Juventus debut has been delayed again with the star suffering another setback
Manager Max Allegri confirmed the news ahead of Juventus’ Italian Cup clash against Lazio
Although Allegri’s comments hint that the setback is not likely to be a lengthy one, Pogba’s wait for debut could now feasibly reach seven months, having signed for the Turin-based club on July 11 last year.
Should Pogba miss both the Italian Cup quarter-final and Juventus’ next Serie A fixture against Salernitana next Tuesday, his next debut opportunity will come against Fiorentina on Sunday February 12.
After undergoing surgery and missing France’s World Cup journey to the final, Pogba returned to training before sitting on the bench against Monza.
Despite the defeat, he posted to Instagram to express his gratitude towards the supporters.
He said: ‘So happy to be back with my team, big thank you to all the fans for the warm welcome. We’ll come back stronger.’
Meanwhile, the club released a statement which read: ‘Pogba is one of the most accomplished players in our squad now, so the midfielder’s return is a huge positive for us as a club.
‘The team needs a lynchpin in that midfield and he can provide it for us if he stays fit and gains momentum. For now, we do not have to rush him because he has been out for a long time and he should only step on the field if he is 100 per cent fit.’
With or without Pogba, Juventus’ hopes of securing Champions League qualification for next season seem bleak at this stage, with Atalanta holding a 15-point advantage over the Italian giants in fourth.
The midfielder returned to the bench during Juventus’ 2-0 defeat by Monza but did not feature
Juventus suffered another disastrous 2-0 defeat in the Italian top flight versus Monza last week
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