Former Juventus player Claudio Marchisio has expressed sympathy for Paul Pogba following his troubled first season back at the club.

Pogba rejoined Juventus as a free agent last season, and the club had high hopes for his immediate impact. However, the midfielder was hampered by injuries, which prevented him from making the desired impact on the pitch. As a result, some Juventus fans are calling for his departure from the club.

Despite the criticisms, Pogba signed a long-term contract upon his return and retains the trust of manager Max Allegri, who expects him to perform well. The reasons behind Pogba’s susceptibility to injuries in the last season remain somewhat unclear, but Marchisio believes that his off-field life and mentality may have had an impact on his performance.

He said via Il Bianconero:

“I already knew what happened to him. I am increasingly convinced that if an athlete is not well mentally, both performance and physique suffer. 

“Something really bad happened to him and his family, i’m not surprised it wasn’t the best. 

“We hope that in the summer he can recover physically but above all mentally, because he knows he has to give something more for this shirt: he came back for that, this year he didn’t succeed and we hope it will be the next one where we can revisit it on a very big scale.”

Juve FC Says

Whatever the issue was last season, Pogba must ensure he returns for the next season in better shape and prepared to pay back the support he has received so far.

If he has another injury-ravaged season at the club, then we need to find a way to end the relationship between us.