French midfielder Paul Pogba, who was absent from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to an injury following a knee operation he suffered in early September, has returned to Juventus for the first time since October, according to his club.
On Tuesday, the Bianconeri posted a photo and video of his training on their official website, and the 29-year-old was seen with the ball among his teammates.
Pogba, the 2018 world champion, underwent meniscus surgery in early September, then suffered a new injury which delayed his recovery.
Pogba, 29, has not played an official match since April 19, when he was with Manchester United.
He had hoped his departure from Manchester United last summer and return to Juventus would help revive his professional career, but was injured just before the start of the season during a friendly in July.
He decided early on not to have surgery, aiming to participate in the World Cup, in which his country reached the last match against Argentina, but eventually changed his mind.
Pogba could return to playing matches at the end of January, despite the sports newspaper La Gazzetta indicating Juventus’ willingness to be ready for the preliminary European League (Europa League) matches on 16 and 23 February against Nantes, in France.
The player played for Juventus in his first spell between 2012 and 2016, during which he won the Scudetto four times, before his second move to Manchester United.
At the end of December he responded to the fans’ criticisms of his departure in the mountains, when he was forced to do exhausting muscle-strengthening exercises and an individual race: “Patience is not knowing how to wait, but knowing how to keep a good mood while waiting.”
