Paul Pogba seems to be unlucky with injuries. The Frenchman has once again suffered a horrific injury right after making his first start since a year ago.
After rejoining Juventus for a second stint, Pogba made his first start against Cremonese yesterday. It was his first start in 390 days for both club and country. And yet, he suffered an injury just 23 minutes into the match. It was a muscle injury and immediately he had to be taken off the pitch. He was seen crying, evidently sad at another setback to his career.
His last game starting in the lineup was actually against Liverpool for former side Manchester United in April of last year.
Paul Pogba's first start in over a year ends with an injury 24 minutes into the match.
Damn š pic.twitter.com/uk4NSgOCIW
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 14, 2023
Manager Massimiliano Allegri said after the match that they rushed the player back into action. He said, “We are all sad because he was doing fairly well. He made a lot of sacrifices and now he has to come back because he felt pain in his quadriceps.”
“When you play a game from the start after so much you increase the risk. We will wait for him.”
Juventus later released an official statement on their website that read, “The diagnostic tests that Paul Pogba underwent this morning at J|Medical showed a low-grade lesion of the rectus femoris of the left thigh. The footballer has already started his rehabilitation program.”
Paul Pogba and his injury woes
Paul Pogba left Manchester United on a free transfer after facing a lot of problems at Old Trafford. He then rejoined the Italian giants Juventus who he had previously played for before returning to United for a big fee.
However, right before the season started, the talented Frenchman suffered a knee injury. He chose not to undergo an operation to prevent any chances of him missing the World Cup for France.
But later, he had to take surgery anyway and missed the World Cup. He made a return to the squad in January, but another muscular injury prevented him from playing. Pogba then played his first game since April 2022 on February 28, 2023, in a Serie A match.
In March, he was out of the Europa League squad to face Freiburg. But this time, he missed it not due to injury issues, but disciplinary reasons. Again, he was injured in the thigh while taking free kicks in training.
He came off the bench against Sporting Lisbon on April 13 and nine substitute appearances before being named to the starting lineup against Cremonese. It is now his fifth injury in a year.
Pogba will now miss the rest of the season, with only three league games remaining and the second leg of the Europa League semi-final.
