From Man Utd’s record signing to the scrapheap: what happened to Paul Pogba?

20 Aug 2026 13:02 BST | 5 min read

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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Paul Pogba’s career was dealt a potentially fatal blow on Wednesday when Monaco confirmed that the former France international had agreed to a mutual termination of his contract.

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Pogba has been thrust into free agency for the second time in his career having played just six matches for the Ligue 1 side in what was his comeback season following a drug ban.

Now 33 years old, the man who has remained Manchester United’s record signing for the last decade finds himself facing the footballing scrapheap.

STATS

Paul Pogba

M (CL), DM (C)

Paul Pogba

M (CL), DM (C)

6

Games
0

Goals
0

Assists

Why Monaco are releasing Pogba after six games

Pogba’s body has let him down repeatedly. He suffered a chain of injury problems at Monaco last season that meant he started only one match, made six appearances and totalled just 115 minutes on the field.

While this was enough to controversially land him Globe Soccer’s Comeback of the Year award, it was not, however, enough for the Ligue 1 side to justify his presence on their books.

When he broke down with more problems in pre-season, rumours quickly spread that sporting director Thiago Scuro had come to the decision to terminate his contract.

“We have a lot of respect for Paul. He was very positive, he worked hard, he helped the younger players. But the truth is, the project didn't work well last season. The expectations were very different,” Scuro explained in July.

Thank you, Monaco 🇲🇨
To the President, the staff, my teammates and to you, the fans, thank you for your trust and your support from day one to the last.

It wasn’t the journey I had imagined, but this is where I found my way back onto the pitch, and for that I’ll always be… pic.twitter.com/xtKqYwjQwo
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) August 19, 2026

Pogba took to social media to write: “It wasn’t the journey I had imagined, but this is where I found my way back onto the pitch, and for that I’ll always be grateful. Monaco will always hold a special place.”

It was a sad end for a player who was once universally recognised as one of the most talented midfielders in the world, and while he struggled to live up to expectations at Man Utd, his role in France’s triumphant 2018 World Cup campaign was invaluable.

When he delivered 13 goals and nine assists for United in the Premier League the following season, it finally seemed that Pogba was back. But then his body started to fail and in 2022 he left as a free agent to Juventus only for his physical problems to continue before he failed a drug test in September 2023, having amassed barely 200 minutes of action in a year.

© IMAGO - Pogba on a rare appearance for Monaco

What comes next?

All this begs the question: what will happen to Pogba now? Is this the end or is there still a final chapter to be written?

Certainly, the glorious comeback that the midfielder dreamed of is now nothing more than a pipe dream. No top club is going to take a chance on a player who started only two competitive matches since the summer of 2022.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that clubs in the Saudi Pro League and MLS have contacted the veteran, who is under no obligation to make a decision before the end of the transfer window given his new free agent status.

Pogba was previously linked with a move to Brazilian football, but these avenues appear to be closed, ESPN reports. Corinthians have no plans to sign the Frenchman, while Santos are under a transfer ban and cannot reignite their interest.

Logically, Pogba’s career looks over. With his body having failed repeatedly year after year, any club signing him will be doing so for his profile rather than any belief he will be able to appear on a regular basis, let alone recapture the type of form that made Man Utd spend a historic sum on him.