With his most recent injury setback, Massimiliano Allegri is unsure of when Paul Pogba will be able to resume playing.
Since moving back to Juventus from Manchester United last July, the France international has struggled mightily, appearing for a total of 34 minutes in two substitute appearances.
When he participated in back-to-back matches against Torino and Roma on February 28 and March 5, both times as a substitute, Pogba seemed to have put his injury problems behind him.
He was, however, benched for Juventus’ upcoming game against Freiburg in the Europa League as a result of arriving late for a team meeting.
Since suffering a new muscular injury while taking free kicks in training, the 29-year-old has been inactive. Before Juventus’ return to Serie A play against Hellas Verona on Saturday, Allegri appeared to once again rule Pogba out of contention for the match.
“At the moment, I don’t know when he will be available again,” Allegri said at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “He’s working, but at the moment it’s difficult to say.
“The adductor is fine, but we’re waiting to see how his knee will react after taking part in training.”
Allegri’s team was docked 15 points in January, but they have since won six of seven Serie A games to close the gap on the top four to seven points.
In addition to playing Sporting CP in the Europa League quarterfinals and hosting Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal, Juventus will play five league games in April.
“Our aim is to win as many games as possible in order to have a wonderful May,” Allegri said of his side’s congested April programme.
“This is the schedule and we have to manage it the best way possible. We’re heading towards a beautiful but tiring end to the season and must continue playing with enthusiasm.”
