Paul Pogba has had a rough start to his second spell at Juventus.
The French midfielder has faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines since moving to the Old Lady from Manchester United on a free transfer last summer, six years after leaving Turin for the first time.
Pogba underwent radiological examinations that revealed a lesion of the lateral meniscus after starting in a pre-season friendly against Guadalajara in July, effectively ruling him out of contention for several months.
The 29-year-old would have to bide his time patiently, even missing the World Cup in Qatar, but he was finally deemed fit enough to be included in the Juventus squad for the first time against Serie A new-boys Monza last Sunday.
Pogba would end up helplessly watching on from the bench as the Old Lady succumbed to a humiliating 2-0 defeat, condemning them to 13th spot on the table.
There would be further bad news awaiting both club and player, as Pogba now seems to have picked up a flexor injury.
The injury will rule out the enigmatic midfielder’s chances of making his second bow at the Stadio Delle Alpi for the foreseeable future, with Pogba likely to miss Juventus’s cup tie against Lazio, and their next league fixture against Salernitana at the bare minimum.
Juve manager Max Allegri had his say about Pogba’s injury during the pre-match press conference ahead of the Lazio game,
“I will decide the line-up tomorrow. Aside from [Leonardo] Bonucci, the only other player not available is Pogba who had a flexor problem.
“Many players have been dealing with long-term injuries. [Federico] Chiesa was out for 10 months, and Pogba hasn’t played since April.
It takes a while to get back in shape. As happened with Chiesa who had to stop and start again.
“It takes time for Pogba, nobody can work miracles. His body must adapt. We must use him wisely and in the right moment when he will be fit.”
Pogba won the Serie A in each of his four seasons in Italy, and his return to Turin was a much awaited one for fans of the Bianconeri.
His absence has been a huge loss for the Old Lady, as they have struggled to find any semblance of form this season.
Given the current state of affairs, Juventus fans will be praying that this new setback does not hold him back much longer.
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