Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba left the pitch in tears after picking up another injury for Juventus on his first competitive start for the club following his return.
The French midfielder has been plagued by injuries over the last 18 months and missed the World Cup as a result. On Sunday he made his first competitive start for Juventus following his return to Turin last summer, having last featured for United against Liverpool in April 2022.
He has barely featured for the Serie A giants as a result of constant injuries and was dealt another setback on Sunday. Pogba had been making good progress in his recovery, appearing in Juventus' last three games.
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But in his first start, Pogba lasted only 23 minutes and was in tears after he limped off against Cremonese. After receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area, Pogba turned, cut inside and unleashed a long-range shot towards goal before pulling up and putting his head in his hands.
It was the latest blow for the 30-year-old, who was replaced by Nicolo Fagioli, who scored the opener as Juventus went on to win 2-0. Pogba has only made nine competitive appearances for Juventus, racking up just 137 minutes this campaign.
After the match, manager Massimiliano Allegri said: "After the match with Sevilla I had decided to play him, I wanted to test him at the start of the game when the pace is different. We needed technique for a game where we were going to play in the opponents' half of the field.
"It's those movements that when you kick your quadriceps can suffer. We are all sad because he was doing fairly well. He made a lot of sacrifices and now he has to come back because he felt pain in his quadriceps.
"Paul is a grown man, he has three children and the broad shoulders to overcome this muscle injury. When you play a game from the start after so much you increase the risk. We will wait for him."
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