Sebastien Pocognoli, manager of Monaco, has recently offered his perspective on Paul Pogba’s turbulent career path, spanning both Manchester United and Juventus.
Pogba had initially been banned for four years after he failed a drugs test during his time at Juventus, with his sentence handed down to him in February 2024.
Pocognoli’s decision came after a four-year ban that was imposed on Pogba back in February 2024 when he was still at Juventus.
That ban had come following Pogba’s provisional suspension the previous September, after testing showed higher-than-allowed testosterone levels.
A follow-up test carried out a month later also returned positive, leading to the confirmation of his suspension.
The original ban was backdated to the first failed test. But it was eventually shortened following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2024.
Monaco boss Pocognoli discusses Pogba’s time at Man Utd and Juventus
Pogba, having served his 18-month doping ban, joined Monaco in June 2025.
Speaking before Monaco’s Ligue 1 fixture against Nantes, Sebastien Pocognoli made it clear he sees Pogba as a different player than the one fans remember from his United days.
“I said this week would be used to answer some questions about him [Pogba],” he said, as per Goal.
“Things are going well, and I expect him to be back in the squad in the short term.”
Pocognoli continued: “I think we’ll have to do a process together around Paul. We have to judge him on the player he is now.”
Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli defends signing of ex-Man Utd and Juventus star Paul Pogba
Pogba signed a contract with Monaco that runs until 2027, but he hasn’t featured yet for the club due to a thigh strain picked up in training earlier this month.
Pocognoli is still figuring out how best to use the 2018 World Cup winner but feels confident that he can get the best out of his new player over time.
“Every player evolves; we’ll have to judge him on what he is now, given his background and his age,” he added.
“He still has the technique we know he has, and the pace of matches will give us some insight.
“His background is different from 10 years ago. It’s up to me to stimulate his qualities and the potential he has right now. And I hope to get the most out of it.”
Pogba, who denied any wrongdoing over the offence that led to his football ban, had two separate spells with United and Juventus during his playing career.
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