Paul Pogba during his second Juventus spell
Paul Pogba has been linked with a sensational return to Man Utd
A shock return to Manchester United is reportedly on the cards for Paul Pogba as he nears the end of his doping ban.
In February, the Frenchman, 31, was slapped with a four-year ban after failing a doping test five months before, but the punishment was reduced to 18 months on appeal. This means he'll be able to return to training in January 2025 and begin playing in March, opening the door for a late-career revival.
His contract with Juventus was terminated by mutual decision last month - ending a dismal period where he managed just 203 minutes of action in two-and-a-half years - meaning that a new club will be at the top of the player's Christmas wish list. United aren't expected to offer their former midfielder a contract but could invite him to train at Carrington in the New Year, according to former Red Devils forward Louis Saha.
Wherever he ends up, two of his former team-mates, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho, will be cheering him on from afar. In November, both players made their feelings clear about Pogba as they sent him messages on Instagram ahead of his impending return to football.
[
Paul Pogba 'offered Man Utd return' as Jim Ratcliffe sent transfer message](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/paulpogba-manutd-return-jimratcliffe-transfer-34275447)
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'Paul Pogba would love to return to Man Utd - I'm sure Ruben Amorim would welcome him'](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/paul-pogba-man-utd-amorim-34188674)
"I can't wait for you to return," Sancho, 24, wrote in response to Pogba's post about "getting ready to come back". A couple of weeks later, after Pogba announced his Juventus departure on the same platform, Fernandes, 30, replied: "Phenomenon as a player but even more phenomenal as a person you are," followed by a heart emoji.
A return to United, even if only to train, would mark Pogba's third association with the club. He initially joined them from Le Havre as a teenager in 2009 but left for Juventus two years later after being denied first-team opportunities by then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils then broke the world transfer record to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016. Pogba went on to play over 220 times for the club, scoring 39 goals, before leaving for Juventus again in 2022.
Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba
Bruno Fernandes spent two-and-a-half years as Paul Pogba's team-mate at Man Utd ( Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba
Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba shared a dressing room for 12 months at Old Trafford
Sancho is currently on loan from United at Chelsea and will make the move permanent at the end of the season, providing the Blues finish above 15th in the Premier League this season. Fernandes, on the other hand, is United's captain and a key man for new boss Ruben Amorim.
Pogba has made it clear that he still loves the club, and former Manchester City and Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna, who is a close friend of the 2018 World Cup winner, reckons new United manager Amorim would be up for bringing him in. "United have a young coach, a coach that has been a player, a coach that understands the situation," the Frenchman told Mega Dice.
"He will probably be willing to have a player like Paul at his training sessions. Amorim was a player himself, so I'm sure the coach will be open to seeing him getting back home because he loves United. I have talked many times with Paul. He loves United. The only problem was the situation when he came back.
Pogba endured a torrid second spell at Juventus, featuring just 12 times in all competitions in two-and-a-half years
"That was a spell where things didn’t go as well as they should have done, but Paul wasn’t the only player that struggled at United during the time he was there."
United are currently 13th in the Premier League after a dismal start to the campaign. Recent defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have taken the shine off Amorim's fairly promising start, and their season now threatens to spiral out of control, with off-field problems piling up as relentlessly as those on the pitch.
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