PAUL POGBA has broken his silence on his future after seeing his doping ban reduced.
The Juventus star had been banned from football for four years after testing positive for banned substance DHEA in August 2023.
However, having always pleaded his innocence and appealing against the decision, earlier this month the 31-year-old saw that sentence reduced to 18 months.
That which will see him able to return playing the beautiful game in March 2025.
But Pogba’s future remains up in the air, with his club confirming they are in talks with his representatives over his exit from the Turin outfit by mutual agreement despite having a deal valid until 2026.
This has seen him linked with a shock free transfer to Marseille, with former international team-mate Patrice Evra claiming he will contact sporting director Medhi Benatia to seal the deal.
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Evra had said: “He wants to play football, wherever it is, for example why not OM?’ Evra said. ‘I’m going to call Benatia and tell him that the door is open.”
Despite this claim, Pogba has dismissed the defender’s comments but refused to rule out a future switch.
He told L’Equipe: “I laugh because he’s Uncle Pat, he said it jokingly.
“I’m still under contract so it’s not credible. The possibility of coming to play in Ligue 1?
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‘I’m at a club, I’m just thinking about coming back and getting out of this situation.
“Of course, you never know what tomorrow will bring, so never say never.”
Asked specifically about his reduced ban, the former Manchester United midfielder added: “I was really happy.
“I hadn’t done anything, why would they give me four years?
“I’ll be able to go back to doing what I love the most.
“It’s like I’ve been given another chance.
“I’ve been given back something that had been taken away from me.
“It’s a new lease on life.
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“March is tomorrow, it’ll come quickly.
“And it’s something I can’t wait to do.”
What is DHEA?
PAUL POGBA tested positive for elevated levels of DHEA, a hormone that naturally occurs in the adrenal gland, in August 2023.
DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, can be used to naturally boost testosterone production. It does not produce testosterone itself.
It is on the world anti-doping banned substances list and carries a maximum of four years if the athlete took it deliberately to enhance their performance.
DHEA can legally be sold over-the-counter in the US as a dietary product, known as prasterone.
It is also taken as an anti-ageing therapy, and to treat depression and the symptoms of menopause, although there is little evidence to suggest it is effective, and it can cause serious side effects.
In 2022, UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six-month ban after testing positive for a DHEA.
Green said he had not realised that DHEA was banned after seeing a video on YouTube, and took the supplement after his wife bought it from a supermarket.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
