Pogba begins training with Monaco to get match fitness

Paul Pogba has begun walking his route to match fitness after involvement in training with his AS Monaco teammates for the first time since joining the club at the end of June.

Get French Football News reports that during Thursday morning’s session in La Turbie, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was not involved in the entire session, but just the warm-up.

They will want to begin a gradual process of fitness with Pogba, who last played in September 2023 due to a doping ban. 

The French midfielder was initially handed a four-year ban and was later reduced to 18 months on appeal. 

The ban forced Juventus to terminate his contract, and he eventually joined Monaco after his appeal was granted. He signed a two-year deal at the end of June, hoping to return to full fitness with the club that had put faith in him ahead of the new season.

This means he won’t be fit for the start of the season, as revealed by Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro during the player’s presentation.

The CEO further revealed that there is a three-month plan to build back his fitness. That puts Pogba’s return date at around the start of October.

Scuro further revealed that the club are still working on this timeline and they are careful in rushing back to action to avoid another long-term injury, which affected his Juventus career.

“Maybe in two weeks, he can be part of practice (full training session). We are looking forward to having him as fast as possible,” said the Monaco manager, Adi Hutter.

From the look of things, Pogba will not be stepping on the field very soon. This is judging by his injury records, which he experienced in Juventus after he rejoined the Turin club from Manchester United for a huge fee.