paul Pogba‘s Return to Monaco Squad Could “Scare” Opponents,Teammates Say
MONACO – After over two years sidelined by suspension and injury,Paul Pogba made his return to competitive play for AS Monaco in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Rennes.While the team is currently facing a three-game losing streak in ligue 1 – following defeats against Paris FC (0-1) and Lens (1-4) – Pogba’s presence is already having an impact, according to teammates.
Coach Sébastien Pocognoli stated the club intends to “continue, step by step, to assess his physical level and assess what he can bring to the team,” adding, “I think that if the weeks of training continue, we will have the opportunity to see him on the field longer.”
Captain Denis Zakaria,a former Juventus teammate of Pogba’s,believes the midfielder’s return is a significant boost. “Honestly, nothing has changed. It’s always the same person, the same player,” Zakaria said. “It’s clear he hasn’t played for a while. He needs to get back into rhythm and form, but we can clearly see that his foot is still there and the quality is still there.”
Zakaria further emphasized the psychological effect Pogba can have on opposing teams.”Having Paul Pogba in the squad can be scary,” he revealed. “We all know Paul’s qualities, we know that he is a huge player. Afterwards, we have a very large squad and I think it would be a mistake for (Pafos) to focus only on Paul.”
Monaco will next face pafos on Wednesday in their fifth Champions League match.
