If Paul Pogba failed a doping test after taking an American integrator, then this would be exactly the same issue that caused a spate of positive Serie A cases for nandrolone in the early 2000s, including Edgar Davids and Pep Guardiola.
Pogba showed elevated levels of testosterone in the sample taken after the 3-0 win away to Udinese on August 20.
Awaiting the counter-analysis, multiple reports suggest Pogba told the Juventus medical staff that he took a substance prescribed by a medic in Miami who is a friend of the family, but who did not contact the club.
It is believed to be a vitamin integrator, essentially a dietary supplement, which under American rules is not covered by the same strict regulation as medication.
The integrator is meant to help the body better absorb vitamins and minerals, so is often handed out in American gyms and is easily accessible online, but can also contain substances that are banned for professional athletes.
It would be a sense of déjà vu for Juve and Serie A, because integrators imported from America were the cause of the spate of nandrolone positive doping tests in 2000.
Those banned included Davids of Juventus, Lazio defender Fernando Couto, Jean-Francois Gillet of Bari, Cristian Bucchi of Perugia and more.
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that mimics testosterone and boosts muscle mass.
It sparked a panic among Serie A players, with Gianluca Pessotto of Juventus at the time warning they were “terrified of taking anything other than mineral water” in case it had hidden substances.
In 2001, Brescia midfielder Guardiola and Lazio defender Jaap Stam also tested positive for nandrolone.
However, after five months of investigation, they were both cleared, with tests showing their bodies naturally produced the substance in higher levels.