Pogba Faces Fresh Setback as Monaco Concerns Grow
The training pitch at St George's Park fell silent in an instant. One sharp cry from Paul Pogba, then the midfielder crumpled to the turf.
What had been a routine passing drill for AS Monaco’s pre-season camp turned into another worrying chapter in the 2018 World Cup winner’s troubled spell at the club. Medical staff rushed over, and two members of the backroom team helped him off the pitch, his team-mates watching on, concern written all over their faces.
This was supposed to be the week Pogba finally rejoined the group properly. After months of frustration and repeated physical issues, he had only just begun to integrate into full training again, building slowly, working towards the rhythm and sharpness that once defined him. His pre-season minutes so far had been limited to a brief appearance, but at least there was a sense of progress.
That optimism has been jolted.
Head coach Filipe Luís had recently spoken of his desire to fold Pogba back into the heart of this Monaco side, leaning on his experience and personality as much as his passing range. At 33, the Frenchman is no longer the explosive force of his early years, yet his presence still carries weight in a dressing room and on a pitch.
Now he is staring at another climb. Another rehab. Another wait.
For Monaco, the timing could hardly be worse. The club is entering the final stretch of its preparations for the new Ligue 1 campaign, and this pre-season was always going to be decisive for Pogba. The hierarchy had made it clear: these weeks would help shape the verdict on his long-term future in the principality.
Instead of answers, they now have more questions.
The medical team will conduct scans to assess the full extent of the damage, and only then will the club know whether this is a brief interruption or something far more serious. Until those results land, there is only anxiety – for the player, for the coaches, and for those upstairs who must weigh sentiment against hard reality.
On the training pitch and in the planning meetings, the consequences are immediate. Monaco’s staff must recalibrate their midfield options, designing early-season line-ups without one of the squad’s most high-profile names. The focus turns to depth, balance, and who can shoulder responsibility in the centre of the park while Pogba begins yet another rehabilitation process.
His story at Monaco has never really had the chance to start. Every time the door seems to open a fraction, another setback slams it shut. Whether this latest blow proves a mere scare or the sign of a longer, more damaging absence will shape not only his role this season, but possibly the direction of his remaining top-level years.
For now, all anyone at Monaco can do is wait – and wonder how many more chances this partnership will get.
