Will Paul Pogba make his return to football against Tottenham after injury nightmare and ban? | OneFootball

The former Manchester United and Juventus star has suffered a setback on his bid return to action

Paul Pogba will not make his long-awaited return to football against Tottenham in the Champions League later this month.

The former Manchester United midfielder has been cleared to play since early 2025 after seeing his four-year ban following a positive test result for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), that started on 11 September, 2023, reduced to 18 months on appeal.

Pogba became a free agent last November after reaching an agreement with Juventus to terminate his contract which was due to run until June 2026.

Pogba’s highly anticipated return was initially scheduled for Monaco’s Ligue 1 fixture away at Angers this weekend, but the club’s CEO Thiago Scuro has confirmed that a setback.

Speaking in a press conference, as per Get French Football News, Scuro said: “We expected him to be available for the next match.

“That is no longer the case. Paul had a small problem last week that will cost us at least two more weeks. It is the first negative episode that we have had since we started the process with him.

“Given how long he has been out of activity, it can happen. It isn’t the end of the world; we have just postponed for two weeks to prepare him better.

“We hope to have him available soon.”

Setback: Paul Pogba

AFP via Getty Images

Pogba will therefore not make his debut for Monaco against Tottenham in the Champions League with Spurs the visitors to the Stade Louis II next Wednesday.

The midfielder is facing a race against the clock to prove his fitness before the next international break with Monaco also in action against Toulouse, Nantes, Paris FC, Bodo/Glimt and Lens.

Pogba is eligible to feature in the league phase of the Champions League having been included in Monaco’s squad for the league phase by former manager Adi Hutter.