Pogba’s World Cup dream fades as injuries take their toll on the former France star at Monaco

Paul Pogba is still hoping to play in this year’s World Cup, but things are not looking good for the former France star.

The 32-year-old midfielder, whose former clubs include Manchester United and Juventus, joined Monaco on a two-year contract last summer in a bid to revive a career that was derailed by injuries and a doping ban.

Pogba is struggling with a left calf injury sustained in training that has kept him out for a month.

That injury was the latest in a series of physical problems and Pogba has only played around 30 minutes since making his Monaco debut at the end of November.

“The program and the plan for Paul are not working as we expected at the beginning,” Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro said on Wednesday. «He is very concerned by the fact that he is struggling… (he wants) to be more available, to increase the minutes on the field.»

Pogba cried as he signed his contract with Monaco, who are underperforming this season and remain in ninth place in the Ligue 1 standings, already 17 points behind leaders Lens.

Scuro said he still hopes Pogba returns to the league and can make an impact quickly, but hinted at unspecified clauses in his contract that could lead to a shorter stay at the Riviera club.

«If it doesn’t work, the parties can certainly sit together in the summer and try to have a new discussion. Where do we go from here?» he said. “It is not the time to have this discussion because we are in the process of finding the solution and bringing him back.”

In 2016, Pogba became the then most expensive footballer in history when he returned to United from Juventus for a fee of 105 million euros (then $116 million).

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Pogba played 91 times for France and scored 11 goals. He stood out among Europe’s very best midfielders with confident technique, strong physique and stamina, astute passing and the ability to fill a number of midfield roles.

His last appearance for Les Bleus came almost four years ago in a friendly against South Africa, but a persistent knee injury ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup.

At his peak, Pogba was perhaps France’s most influential player. He helped France win the 2018 World Cup, scoring in the final as France defeated Croatia 4–2.

The biggest blow to his career came in February 2024, when he was initially banned for four years by the Italian anti-doping court after testing positive for testosterone while still at Juventus. In October 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his suspension to 18 months.

Published on January 14, 2026