French superstar Paul Pogba has his roots at Old Trafford and now he has been tipped by a former teammate to return to Manchester United for the third time.
Pogba recently terminated his contract with Juventus by mutual consent after his doping suspension was reduced following a successful appeal.
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In a second stint at the Bianconeri, Pogba made just seven appearances before being banned for four years after testing positive for DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) – a compound that promotes the production of hormones in the body, including testosterone.
The France international saw his suspension reduced to 18 months by the sports court, but Juventus announced that he would leave the club for a second time on November 30.
Pogba will be allowed to start training again with a team in January and he has already been linked with a move back to the Premier League, as well as Ligue One side Marseille and teams in Saudi Arabia.
Now it’s mostly self-training!
There were suggestions that he should return to United to improve his fitness, and these reports were quickly dismissed. However, former United star Louis Saha claims that there is some truth to the rumours that he will return in the new year.
And the Frenchman believes Pogba can add something to a struggling United team that ends up in 13th place – and even be worth a point for leading Premier League clubs given he wouldn’t cost a transfer fee.
“I’ve heard some rumours that Paul Pogba will be offered the opportunity to come back and train with Man United in the new year and I think that would be a great opportunity for Paul,” Saha said on social media.
“He needs to get back to his best level as quickly as possible and training with top players will help him to do that. I think he would be thrilled to have the opportunity to go back to the club.
“I also think that Paul Pogba is still a very special player. When you think of midfielders, Pogba has unique qualities. I think the United squad lacks power in midfield and we lack a skilled player who can play box-to-box, so he will be a good addition (to the United squad) because he is a different player profile to what United have.
“When I look at Pogba, I think a lot of teams in the Premier League will find it attractive to sign him as a free agent. Forget about the salary, I’m sure Paul is ready to find a compromise on that since he wants to play football again after so long on the sidelines.
“When I think about Pogba, there are more positives to signing him than there are negatives, and I think he is a player who should interest Manchester United in January. All the top clubs in the Premier League should see signing Pogba on a free transfer as a fantastic opportunity. That’s how I see it.”
Pogba’s first stint at United came when he failed to make the grade in the first team, and he went on to establish himself as one of the best midfielders in the world in Serie A after signing for Juventus on a free in 2012.
United paid £89 million to bring him back to Old Trafford, with Pogba scoring 38 times in 226 appearances as he helped United win the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
Pogba’s last game as a footballer was a substitute appearance for Juventus against Empoli in September 2023 before his doping ban.
After it was confirmed that he would be leaving Juventus, the 31-year-old said that he is “looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club”.
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