115 minutes in a year: Monaco running out of patience with ghost Pogba

Paul Pogba has played just 115 minutes in AS Monaco colors since the start of the 2025-2026 season, and the patience of some Monaco executives is beginning to wear thin, according to L’Équipe.

The 33-year-old midfielder signed with Monaco nearly a year ago, following a lengthy doping suspension, hoping to revive a career plagued by injuries. The gamble has fallen far short. Frequently unavailable, the French international still has a year left on his contract, but his future at the club remains dependent on his physical performance during the next summer preparation.

President Dmitri Rybolovlev would be maintaining his confidence in Pogba’s ability to regain his level, an optimism not shared by all club officials. The athletic data collected this summer will serve as the verdict: if it proves insufficient, an early retirement would not be ruled out.

For his part, the player nicknamed “The Pickaxe” displays an intact willingness to continue. “I love football, I want to keep playing football, to feel good physically. I’m coming back from very, very far. I’m already very happy to be back on the pitch,” he recently stated.

To find trace of a full match played by Pogba, you have to go back to March 12, 2022: Manchester United won 3-2 against Tottenham in the 29th round of the Premier League. More than three years without 90 minutes — a figure that alone sums up the scale of the road ahead.