‘Literally had nothing to do but get fit’ - Savage assessment of Paul Pogba’s return from doping ban as former Man Utd star is told he ‘can’t get around the pitch’ at Monaco

Pogba’s comeback campaign at Monaco was supposed to be the redemption arc for one of football’s modern greats. Instead, it’s quickly fizzling out as the latest disappointing chapter since the World Cup-winner left Manchester United in 2022. From deflating second spells with United and Juventus to even greater disappointment serving an 18-month suspension for a doping offence he insists was not intentional, recent years have not been kind to Pogba. The sad truth is the 33-year-old’s best days may be long behind him. An injury-ravaged debut year on the French Riviera is testament to that, with Pogba having played only 57 minutes in five appearances for Monaco approaching the season’s finish line.

Experts believe another move lies on the horizon after he failed to flourish in Fontvieille during this critical window of his career. French football expert Tom Williams provided a brutal evaluation of why the former record signing is struggling so significantly at the Stade Louis II. "Yes, unfortunately," he told MEN Sport when asked to assess Pogba’s comeback season after two years without competitive minutes. "From what we've seen, he is the same player. He still moves around the pitch in the same way. He has the authority that he always had. He has the same technical dexterity on the ball. He can still fly a perfectly weighted 60-yard diagonal pass."

"He just can't get around the pitch anything like he used to be able to. Unfortunately, since the start of the season, he’s not been able to do it for more than 20 minutes at a time. Despite the fact that he has literally had nothing to do but just try to get fit. Again, I don't know what the long-term solution is, if there is one, but it's hard to have any real faith in his ability to come back from this in any durable way. Because he's had the best part of nine months to have a go at it and it just hasn't worked."

Pogba’s latest contribution was a six-minute cameo off the bench in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Toulouse. The midfielder replaced Simon Adingra at 2-1 up in a bid to shore things up and get the result over the line, only for Sebastien Pocognoli’s side to wilt once again and lose vital ground in the European qualification race. Although contracted until the summer of 2027, Pogba’s chances of staying at the club beyond this season remain in serious doubt.

Williams continued: "I imagine if Monaco had drawn up a set of potential scenarios at the beginning of the season, in terms of how much football he might be able to play and how much he might be able to contribute, the season that he's been able to produce so far would have been pretty much the absolute minimal expectation. Things have basically gone as badly as they could have done on the injury front. I guess it could be seen as a complete whitewash of a season regarding Pogba's situation."

What was teased as the renaissance of France’s former prodigal son has instead illustrated Father Time’s hand in the matter. At 33, other creative midfielders often remodel their game to account for what their legs no longer can; Pogba would at this point be overjoyed just to get a 90-minute performance on the board. The harsher reality is the Monaco experiment "just hasn't worked out," leaving the midfielder's professional future looking increasingly uncertain.