Pogba’s Career in Freefall? Monaco drop star from Champions League squad in shocking move

Paul Pogba has reportedly been excluded from AS Monaco’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season, as the former Manchester United midfielder continues to face persistent fitness setbacks.

The 32-year-old joined the Ligue 1 side last June in a bid to revive his career following an 18-month doping suspension, a period he previously described to Daily Mail Sport as “hell”.

However, his return to competitive football has been hampered by recurring minor injuries and the challenge of regaining full match fitness after nearly two years without regular action.

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Pogba eventually made his long-awaited comeback on November 22, marking his first appearance in 811 days when he came off the bench during Monaco’s 4-1 defeat to Rennes.

He went on to make brief substitute appearances against Paris Saint-Germain and Brest, accumulating just 30 minutes of playing time in total.

Despite consistently maintaining his innocence throughout the doping case, his progress was again stalled after sustaining a calf injury that has kept him sidelined since December 5.

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According to French outlet RMC Sport, Monaco have now opted to omit Pogba from their revised Champions League squad for the knockout phase.

The club is preparing to face PSG in the upcoming knockout round play-offs, and Pogba, along with Mohammed Salisu and Takumi Minamino, has been removed from the list, with UEFA regulations allowing teams to register only three new players for the latter stages of the competition.

Salisu and Minamino have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to serious knee injuries. In their place, Monaco have registered new arrivals Wout Faes and Simon Adingra, as well as Krepin Diatta.

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Although Pogba was named on the bench during the Champions League league phase fixtures against Pafos and Galatasaray, he did not feature in either match.

His continued absence and exclusion from the squad have intensified uncertainty surrounding his long-term future at the club.