It wasn’t a winning return for Paul Pogba (33), but it was a return nonetheless. Having not featured since the start of December, the former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder came off the bench in AS Monaco’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Paris FC on Friday evening.
Pogba came on in the 70th minute with the score at 3-1. Moments later, Luca Koleosho netted a fourth for Les Parisiens. However, simply getting minutes under his belt was important for Pogba. Prior to his entrance at the Stade Jean Bouin, accompanied by applause from all corners of the stadium, he had played only 30 minutes of football since joining the Principality club in the summer, signing a two-year deal, his first contract since the end of his doping ban.
His initial absence was attributed to building up fitness, but since December, he has been recovering from a calf injury. His inability to feature had raised questions about whether Pogba would remain at Monaco next season, with CEO Thiago Scuro even alluding to discussions on the topic in the summer, should the situation not improve.
However, for Pogba, there is no doubt. “Am I already looking forward to next season? I am still here. From what I’ve heard, we’re together for the long run,” he said in the mixed zone post-match. He also announced an objective to complete a full 90 minutes. “I played a lot more than last time (during his comeback at the end of November) and I’m growing in strength,” he added.
