Last summer, Paul Pogba made his long-anticipated return from Manchester United to Juve, but his 2022/23 campaign was the most miserable of this career.
The Frenchman dealt with never-ending injury problems which limited his number of appearances to 10 across all competitions. His lone start ended in another setback that ended his campaign.
Unfortunately for the 30-year-old, he’s been simultaneously dealing with off-the-pitch problems, mainly an extortion case with his brother being one of the main suspects.
Therefore, the 2018 World Cup winner believes that his problems on and off the pitch are intertwined. He blames his mental issues for the recurring injuries he suffered throughout the season.
“I’ve had injuries, and yes it has been a difficult period even outside of football,” admitted the midfielder in an interview with View via TuttoJuve
“But I learned that the most important things for me are health, playing football and family. Getting back on the pitch healthy is important for everyone and especially for us athletes. A healthy body is the greatest luxury we can have in life.
“When you are not feeling well in the head, the body follows. The basis of everything that has happened is the mental aspect. It was the most difficult season of my career, the biggest test of my life.”
On another note, Pogba felt that he didn’t receive the same love and support he enjoys at Juve during his time with Man United. He claims that this was one of the main reasons that promoted his return to Turin.
“When I left Manchester, I was young and I wanted to prove something. Playing for Juventus at a young age was a real test for me.
“But I immediately felt the love of the fans and the club. I really liked the way they worked and I learned a lot.
“I came back to Manchester because I hadn’t finished my work there. We managed to win, maybe not the Premier League, but titles that United hadn’t won for a long time.
“I returned to Juventus because it’s really the club that helped me progress my career. And also because of the love that I get.
“I didn’t get that in Manchester. I was quite surprised when I returned to England. I was immediately given a label. It was quite sad”.
