Paul Pogba has blamed ‘mental problems’ for his injury-ravaged season at Juventus which limited him to just six Serie A appearances
Paul Pogba has given an honest assessment of his struggles at Juventus last season. The Frenchman has been plagued by injuries and made just six league appearances with Pogba blaming ‘mental issues’ as the reason for the ongoing problems.
Paul Pogba has blamed his struggles at Juventus on ‘mental problems’, after his first season with the Old Lady was hampered by a series of injuries.
The Frenchman rejoined Juventus last summer after his Manchester United contract expired, with the Serie A side’s fanbase celebrating the World Cup winner’s arrival.
However, things quickly turned sour when Pogba was hampered by his first injury of the pre-season and, despite being advised to undergo surgery, opted for a non-aggressive treatment plan which did not work.
He was later forced to undergo knee surgery in September and missed the World Cup in Qatar with France as his rehabilitation continued in Italy.
The 30-year-old finally made his first competitive appearance of the season for Juventus in February’s 2-2 draw with Torino, before again being side-lined with injury a few days later while taking a free-kick in training.
Paul Pogba opens up on tough return to injury-plagued Juventus
The midfielder saw his season end prematurely as he picked up another injury in May
A final problem brought Pogba’s season to a premature end when he suffered a low-grade thigh injury just 21 minutes into his first competitive start.
The midfielder has now explained that ‘mental problems’ were the main reason for his injury and bluntly said that it would be his ‘most important win’ in a turbulent season at Juventus.
‘All the injuries this year are due to mental problems. No season has tested me so much,’ he told Calcio Mercato.
‘My most important victory will be overcoming these extra sporting hurdles once and for all.’
Pogba was a popular figure upon his return to the club that burst onto the scene during his breakthrough years, but angered Juventus fans when he went skiing while recovering from injury in December.
At the time he failed to make a single appearance for Juventus during his second spell at the club and decided to respond by mocking critics who slammed him for appearing on the slopes.
Pogba (left) has managed just six Serie A games since returning to Juventus last summer.
The Frenchman cites ‘mental problems’ as the reason for his physical difficulties
The end of the season saw Pogba provide another update to fans, taking to his social media to say he was feeling better mentally.
Speaking in May, Pogba said: ‘Firstly, let me recap my season, which has been very, very complicated with problems on and off the field.
‘You know, it was really hard for me and what happened was the hardest mentally.
‘I tried to take solace in what I loved: playing football, and working on the pitch, but it wasn’t possible because I had a lot of bad luck physically. Now all I can do is to be patient, but today I feel better mentally,’ he added.
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