Paul Pogba comes off injured in his FIRST competitive start since April 2022

Paul Pogba made his first competitive start in over a year on Sunday night, as Juventus took on Cremonese at the Allianz Stadium, but it was heartbreak for the midfielder who was reduced to tears after he was substituted with an injury.

The 30-year-old left Manchester United in the summer of 2022 and re-joined his old side Juventus, but has barely played for the Italian giants this season, due to injury.

In fact, his time at Old Trafford ended after he left the pitch with an injury in United's 4-0 loss to Liverpool back in April 2022, the last time he was named in the starting line-up for a competitive game of football.

Joining up with his former club, Pogba would in fact start a friendly game against Guadalajara in Juventus' pre-season, but would only play 45 minutes of that match before an injury set back would not see him make another appearance seven months later.

The French World Cup winner's season has been blighted by soft tissue injuries and a recurring meniscus problem in his knee this season, that means he was an absentee at the World Cup and has only made nine competitive appearances for Juventus, racking up just 137 minutes.

Fans had hit out at the Juve midfielder after he was seen dancing on a ski slope while he was still going through rehabilitation.

Yet it seems he has recently been making strides to play again, with the 30-year-old making an appearance in all of Juventus' last three matches.

Max Allegri even admitted how good it was to have the midfielder back available for selection, and while Pogba looked threatening on the pitch tonight, his latest injury set back will be a huge blow for both the Frenchman and his coach.

After receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area, Pogba turned his back to a defender, skirted inside and unleashed a curling long-range shot towards the goal.

But he pulled up short a second later before dropping to the floor, holding his head in his hands.

He received treatment on the pitch before he was removed from the field, looking devastated, pulling his shirt over his head.

While his injury was a blow for Juve, Nicolo Fagioli put the home side up after 55 minutes before Gleison Bremer would double their lead just over 20 minutes later.

The Old Lady currently sit second in the Serie A, with a win tonight putting them three points clear of Inter Milan, on 69 points.

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