Paul Pogba Faces Setback Before Monaco’s Clash with Tottenham
October 21, 2025, 10:19 AM ET
Paul Pogba is maintaining a positive outlook while residing in Monaco, though a recent injury has dashed his hopes of participating in the Champions League match against Tottenham at home.
After departing from Manchester United, the former midfielder joined Ligue 1’s Monaco in June. This move came about after a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which shortened his four-year suspension for doping to just 18 months. Pogba was originally sanctioned while at Juventus for testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone in 2023, though he has consistently asserted his innocence and successfully appealed, with the CAS concluding that the ingestion was unintentional.
Set to make his debut for Monaco and his first appearance in over two years against Angers on Saturday, Pogba encountered another setback in his recovery. However, newly appointed coach Sebastien Pocognoli believes there is reason for optimism for the 32-year-old.
“Paul is training, although not at full capacity,” Pocognoli commented prior to Wednesday’s match against Spurs. “He participated in group training for the first time under my guidance on Monday. He was in good spirits, interacting well with his teammates. This is a significant first step, although it may take a few days or weeks to build upon this and enhance performance and consistency.”
Pocognoli began his tenure on October 11, with the upcoming match marking his first home game at Stade Louis II.
The former West Brom player will be without Eric Dier, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Reflecting on his only previous encounter with Spurs in 2014, Pocognoli reminisced, “I played at the old Tottenham stadium when the coach was Mauricio Pochettino. I went up against my former teammates Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembele. It was a great atmosphere, and we won 1-0.”
Pocognoli was joined in the media duties by Monaco forward Maghnes Akliouche, who had been linked to a move to Tottenham during the summer. “It was flattering to see those connections, but I’m focused on being a Monaco player and giving my best against Tottenham on Wednesday,” the 23-year-old expressed. “Of course, playing in the Premier League in the future is appealing, but my priority is the game on Wednesday. Winning is what matters most right now; I’m not concerned about other speculation.”
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