Ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saha says there is a chance that Paul Pogba will “train” with Manchester United in the New Year.
The midfielder is currently serving a ban for a failed drugs test and he is a free agent, having been let go by Juventus last month. Speaking to Casino Utan Spelpaus about Pogba’s surprise return to Carrington, Saha said:
“I’ve heard some rumours that Paul Pogba will be offered the opportunity to come back and train with Man Utd in the New Year, and I think that would be a great opportunity for Paul. 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.”
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Saha says he would back Pogba to re-sign for the club as he believes he can still offer United something they lack in midfield:
“I also think that Paul Pogba is still a very special player. When you think about midfielders, Pogba has unique qualities. I think the United squad lacks power in the midfield, and we’re missing a skilful player that can play box-to-box, so he would be a good addition (to the United squad) because he’s a different profile of player to what United have.”
“When I look at Pogba, I think that many teams in the Premier League would find signing him as a free agent an attractive proposition. Forget about the salary, I’m sure Paul is ready to find a compromise on that as he wants to play football again after such a long time on the sidelines. When I think about Pogba, there are more positives with signing him than there are negatives, and I think he’s a player that should interest Manchester United in January. All the top clubs in the Premier League should see signing Pogba on a free transfer as an amazing opportunity. That’s how I see it.”
Pogba won’t be able to play until March
Earlier this year, the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal handed out a four-year ban to the 31-year-old after non-endogenous testosterone was found in two blood samples.
On appeal, Pogba had his suspension reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It means he will be able to begin training in January before being allowed to play competitive football again in March.
United are not exactly short of midfielders
Head coach Ruben Amorim currently has Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes as options in the middle of the park.
The switch to a 3-4-3 system means there are now only two starting spots, rather than three. That would reduce the chances of Pogba getting any game time if he were to be brought back. Having recruited him as a youth player and then re-signed for £89m, it seems unlikely that United will opt to recruit him for a third time.
Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here