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Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli explains what’s changed for Paul Pogba since Man Utd days

Originally posted on HITC | By Adnan Riaz | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 1:45 PM ET

Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli has spoken openly about Paul Pogba’s career, reflecting on the ups and downs he experienced at both Manchester United and Juventus. The Ligue 1 side took a gamble last summer, bringing Pogba in after he finished serving his doping ban.

Pogba was originally handed a four-year suspension in February 2024 after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels during his time with Juventus.

The former United midfielder had already been provisionally suspended since September 2023 after failing an initial drugs test. A second sample confirmed the result, leading to the formal ban.

Pogba’s ban was backdated to September 2023. However, it was later reduced following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2024.

Paul Pogba’s Monaco comeback: Sebastien Pocognoli discusses former Manchester United player

After serving his 18-month ban, Pogba signed with Monaco in June and has since been working to get back into form.

Pocognoli, speaking ahead of Monaco’s Ligue 1 clash against Nantes, noted that Pogba is now a different player from the one who was at United.

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“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.”

He continued: “I think we’ll have to do a process together around Paul. We have to judge him on the player he is now. The Paul of Manchester United or his first era at Juventus, and this is true for any player, that was a few years ago.”

Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli stands by signing of Paul Pogba

Pogba, who is under contract with Monaco until 2027, has yet to make his debut for the club after picking up a minor thigh issue in training earlier this month.

Pocognoli is still weighing up how best to use the 2018 World Cup winner, but he remains confident that there’s plenty of value to be found in the summer signing.

“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.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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