Paul Pogba’s SHOCKING injury record since Man Utd move in 2016

Tom Weber

• Updated: 14 Mar 2023 13:51 GMT
• 3 min read

Paul Pogba is yet again sidelined, and his injury record since 2016 is utterly mind-blowing.

"Paul Pogba suffered a low-grade tear to his right thigh adductor" is how Juventus announced the latest of the Frenchman's long list of ailments.

Since joining the Old Lady as a free agent last summer, the 29-year-old has only featured twice, suffering five injuries in that time.

READ: Paul Pogba suffers FIFTH injury since joining Juventus from Man Utd

Having undergone knee surgery in September of 2022, Pogba was due to be sidelined for only a couple of months. However, while working his way back to fitness, he suffered muscle damage in his right thigh which proved to be a devastating setback.

He only made his first appearance in late February against rivals Torino, but now he's in the hospital bed again, and will likely remain so until April.

All things considered, it's been a frustrating return to Italy for the 2018 World Cup winner, but his fitness issues are not news to anyone.

Struggles at United

Taking the longer view paints a grim picture of just how frail Pogba's body has been since 2016.

Pogba was already dealing with repeated fitness struggles during his second stint at Manchester United. In fact, after his record-breaking move to Old Trafford in 2016, the talented midfielder would suffer 12 injuries in total, while also catching COVID-19 at one point, illustrating his rotten luck.

A controversial figure at United at times (often through no fault of his own), Pogba repeatedly dealt with exasperating muscle injuries that regularly disrupted his form.

More frustrating yet were his recurring ankle problems between August 2019 and late 2020. Unrelenting ailments stretching over the course of two campaigns saw him miss a full season's worth of games.

It can be argued that, since 2016, the mercurial Frenchman has been robbed of up to two years - perhaps even more - of his career by injuries, a sad statistic that includes well in excess of 120 games.

READ: Man Utd's 10 biggest transfer sale mistakes

Considering Juventus' points deduction, he wouldn't have been able to salvage the Old Lady's Serie A title hopes, but he could have been of use in their Europe League run.

Alas, the Turin outfit will yet again have to do without Paul Pogba on Thursday when they will try to get their 1-0 advantage against Freiburg over the line.