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French midfielder Paul Pogba has been omitted from the Juventus squad to face German side Freiburg in the Europa League after he reported late for training, according to stories surfacing in Italy.
The ex-Manchester United star has only just returned to the fold from a lengthy injury, though the 29-year-old is now facing an embarrassing evening on the sidelines due to his poor time keeping.
Pogba has made only two appearances since returning to Juve on a free transfer last summer when his contract with United expired.
Pogba’s pained return to Turin
Juventus are enduring a miserable season in 2022/23 and Paul Pogba’s lengthy absence since his return added another layer of gloom at the club.
Pogba was sidelined shortly after signing his four-year deal with the Old Lady and the World Cup-winning schemer struggled to overcome a knee injury in the campaign’s early throes.
The playmaker eventually had surgery to try to fix the problem, though Pogba was plagued by fresh setbacks including a muscle strain picked up in October which would eventually keep him out of action until the New Year.
Pogba is believed to be earning a whopping £8.8m per year at Juventus, though his lack of time on the pitch has caused a huge amount of frustration for fans and club staff alike in Turin.
The midfielder had already been heavily criticised after he was pictured on a skiing trip in February during what was supposed to be a period of rehab and legendary Juve defender Marco Tardelli even labelled Pogba a “big problem” in the aftermath, saying:
‘Pogba hasn’t played since April 2022, when he was still in Manchester,’ he said.
‘It’s now a problem for Juve, we don’t know when he’ll return and we don’t know what he wants to do.
‘Pogba goes skiing while his team-mates are struggling with the big problems of Juve.
‘Today Pogba is a big problem that the Bianconeri must solve. This situation also demonstrates that Juve do not have clear enough ideas.
Juventus tackle Freiburg without Pogba
Pogba’s apparent lack of professionalism is clearly ruffling feathers at Juventus, though the Italian side will miss his technical talents on Thursday evening when they contest a tricky-looking Round of 16 tie against Bundesliga side Freiburg in the Europa League.
Juventus had been competing in the Champions League this term, though they finished third in their group behind Benfica and Paris St. Germain before Christmas and were subsequently demoted to the continent’s secondary competition.
Juve had to overcome a playoff fixture against Ligue 1 outfit Nantes to set up their double-header with Freiburg and the fallen giants are currently in seventh spot in Serie A following a 15-point deduction for financial irregularities.
Juventus will kick-off their clash with Freiburg as favourites to prevail, though the addition of Paul Pogba to their XI would have upped their chances of success. The Les Blues international has played just 35 minutes of football this season however, and he will have to bide his time to rack up more after Massimiliano Allegri’s decision to axe him.
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