France coach Didier Deschamps says Paul Pogba will ‘defend himself with all his strength’ and hopes the Juventus midfielder will ‘regain pleasure’ to play football.
Pogba has been banned for four years after failing a doping test in August 2023, following a Serie A match between Juventus and Udinese, which he entirely spent on the bench.
France national team coach Deschamps spoke about the experienced Juventus and France midfielder at a press conference on Thursday after announcing Les Blues’ squad list for games against Germany and Chile.
“I’ve spoken to him. Psychologically, it’s hard,” the ex-Juventus star told reporters, as quoted by L’Equipe.
“The ruling was tough; he filed an appeal, so there will be another judgment. He is going to defend himself with all his strength. I don’t like to be definite about the future. Above all, I hope he can regain the pleasure of playing on the field and then find the France national team again.”
Pogba hasn’t trained with the rest of his Juventus teammates since September 2023, when he was precautionary suspended by the Italian anti-doping commission. At the end of February, the anti-doping tribunal confirmed a four-year ban.
The France international has lodged an appeal and will fight to clear his name.
His contract in Turin expires in June 2026, but the Serie A giants could decide to terminate his deal in the coming months.
Serie A stars Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Adrien Rabiot, Olivier Giroud and Marcus Thuram have been called up by Deschamps for the upcoming international friendlies.