Paul Pogba makes allegiance perfectly clear as Man United sent new club hunt update after talks
Paul Pogba has been on the free agent market for a while now after his contract at Juventus was terminated
Paul Pogba has pledged his allegiance to France during the international break. The former Manchester United midfielder wished Les Bleu good luck ahead of their clash against Croatia in the second leg of the Nations League quarterfinal.
Didier Deschamps' side lost 2-0 in the first leg earlier this week. Ahead of the tie, Pogba uploaded a carousel of pictures of himself in a France shirt to his Instagram, with the caption: "Always behind you, brothers! Make that jersey shine like you know how. Go Blues! @equipedefrance."
The 32-year-old's post – which eclipsed 100,000 likes in under an hour – showed him on a football pitch in the middle of an athletics track. Pogba had white cones set up, suggesting that he had just completed a training exercise as he continues to rebuild his match fitness.
The Frenchman was provisionally suspended in September 2023 after a random drug test found increased levels of testosterone in his system before being handed a four-year ban in February 2024. Pogba appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who reduced the sanction from four years to 18 months, starting from September 2023.
He was eligible to partake in first-team training from January before playing competitively again in March. Pogba was expected to return to Juventus but the two parties mutually terminated his deal, which wasn't set to expire until June 2026.
Pogba has been on the free agent market for a while now, and he remains available. He recently shared his ambition to get back playing for his national team.
"The French team are exciting and I'm a big fan of them already," said Pogba. "I can't wait to see how they further develop and win a future World Cup - hopefully with me as a team-mate."
Last month, the Frenchman was spotted chatting with David Beckham ahead of Inter Miami's first game of the new MLS season.
Unsurprisingly, their exchange fuelled speculation that a move to the United States could be on the cards. In the meantime, Chris Waddle has ruled out Pogba's return to the Premier League in an interview with Prime Casino.
"When he joined Man United under Mourinho, he didn't really do a lot," said the 64-year-old. "Nobody raved about how good he was. The first time we saw him, we thought, ‘Wow, what a player.’ He went to Juventus, and we saw what he could do.
"Towards the end, before he got the suspension, he wasn't really playing particularly great football. He's a gamble. If somebody says we can sign him now till the end of the season, basically on a trial period, and you don't have to pay him much money, then I can see the appeal.
"If he does well and then earns a better deal for himself, it’s a win win for him. I think he’s still got a good couple of years left in him. It would have to be a short-term deal wherever he goes.
"No disrespect, but I think a lot of clubs in the Premier League will be looking at other players before they look at Paul Pogba because he's been out of the game for a long time, and he wasn't pulling up any trees before his ban.
"He’ll interest clubs, no doubt, but I can’t see any of the top, top Premier League clubs taking a punt on him, even if it was for six months."