'Humble' Paul Pogba hailed as 'world-class player' by team-mate after making fantastic first impression at Monaco

Pogba officially left previous club Juventus in November 2024, with his contract in Turin terminated by mutual consent. He was linked with various destinations over the following months, but ultimately decided to sign for Monaco, allowing him to play domestic football in his home country of France for the first time in his career.

After working his way back to match fitness and overcoming a few niggling injuries, Pogba made his Monaco debut and long-awaited return to football on November 22 as a substitute in a 4-1 loss away at Rennes.

Pogba is again battling injury, but his presence in the Monaco dressing room remains strong. In an interview with The Guardian, fellow midfielder Camara detailed the former Manchester United star's influence behind the scenes.

"As soon as I heard Monaco were interested in Pogba, I told myself we are really lucky to have him in our team," Camara said. "We know he is a world-class player, but he doesn’t show that [in the dressing room]. He is always humble and stays true to himself. We know he is a player who will bring us a lot through his experience. We hope he will be fit again soon. We will really need him this season."

Camara, currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, has admitted he has also spoken with Pogba, who is of Guinean descent, about his own African heritage. "I ask him all sorts of questions, even ones about Senegalese food. He said his favourite is Thieboudienne – like everyone else!" he added.

Though he is a transfer gossip column regular, Camara isn't giving any thought to a move away and is focused on staying at Monaco with Pogba. "For now, I am really happy at Monaco. I feel really at ease here: the players are kind and ambitious, and I have a manager who trusts me. I follow the Premier League a lot - everyone does. I'm not thinking about changing clubs but we will see what happens at the end of the season," he continued.

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Monaco were expected to challenge for a Champions League berth in Ligue 1 once again having finished third last season. However, they head into the French winter break in ninth place, nine points off the top four and are the only top-half side with a negative goal difference. They sit 19th in the Champions League league phase table, with teams ranking from ninth to 24th earning a knockout round play-off place

"We know we are losing points that we shouldn't," Camara added. "In these moments, the manager [Sebastien Pocognoli] reassures us - he tells us all the time that he is behind us and we'll get through it."

Pogba will be hoping to feature more for Monaco during the second half of the season, though head coach Pocognoli is remaining cautious when it comes to managing the 32-year-old's fitness.

"To have come back from where he was and to play again is already spectacular," he said. "But right now, I can't look towards the future. He is working, and we are there to support him. I understand the concern but I can’t worry about that. I manage the team, and Paul is a part of what I want to put in place, as soon as he is ready to help us."

Monaco lost five of their last six Ligue 1 games prior to the winter break, though their only win in that time came at home to champions Paris Saint-Germain, with Pogba coming on as a late substitute to help see out the 1-0 victory.