Ex-Manchester United star Paul Pogba suspended for 4 years following doping offence - Reports

Ex-Manchester United star Paul Pogba has been suspended for four years following a doping conviction, according to reports from Italian news outlet La Repubblica.

The 31-year-old Frenchman was first suspended in September after failing a drug test at his current club, Juventus. Results from a secondary sample analysis made the National Anti-Doping Tribunal take the decision to ban him from footballing activities till 2027, the longest ban a player could have received.

A graduate of the Manchester United academy, Pogba made only seven appearances for the club in his first season. It was at Juventus that he first broke out onto the footballing scene after making a move to the club back in 2012.

He re-joined his boyhood club in 2016 for an eye-watering €105 million. Across the two stints at United, he made 238 appearances, scoring 39 goals and assisting 51. At the end of his Manchester United contract in 2022, he made the move back to Juventus, but has only played 12 games since due to nagging injuries.

A World Cup winner with France in 2018 under legendary coach Didier Deschamps, he was one of his favourite under-studies. In December, Deschamps said about Pogba:

"I love all my players, but I'm sad about what Paul is living. I'm not just talking about the most recent events, but also about everything he has experienced so far, with the personal problems that have inevitably had consequences on his injuries. I feel bad for Pogba: how can he do it?"

His current contract at the club runs till 2026, but he is set to never play for the Bianconeri again.