Paul Pogba's Ex Teammate Claims the Midfielder Was 'Tricked' Into Taking Banned Substance

• Paul Pogba was handed a four-year ban for testing positive for a banned substance
• The French midfielder is set to be out of football action at least until August 2027
• Pogba has already shown intent to appeal the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport

Paul Pogba's former teammate, Rio Mavuba, has offered a fresh perspective on how the midfielder may have gotten into trouble.

Pogba was recently slapped with a four-year ban from football after he tested positive for a banned substance.

The ban came at a time when the Frenchman was pushing to return to the top after a disastrous second spell with Manchester United and an injury-laden stint during his Juventus return.

According to Sky Sports, the World Cup winner was initially suspended in September 2023 after returning a positive test for testosterone metabolites in August of that year.

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In October, Pogba tested positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a substance that promotes the production of hormones in the body.

The positive test saw Pogba handed the lengthy ban, with the midfielder vowing to appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pogba's ex-teammate speaks on midfielder's ban

Mavuba, a former Pogba teammate, has now sensationally claimed that the ex-Unite star was tricked into using the banned substance.

The former Lille star added that he is confident in the innocence of Pogba.

"[I am] in no doubt about Paul’s sincerity and I think he may have been somewhat tricked too," Mavuba said via Sportskeeda.

Meanwhile, Juventus star Adrien Rabiot is among the high-profile footballers who publicly supported Pogba.

The France international said:

"We’re talking to Paul. He’s trying to keep his head up even when everything is falling on him. I hope he will come out of this as best he can because having all of this to deal with at once is a lot," Rabiot said.

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Pogba gets offer to return to action

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Pogba receiving a surprising route back to football barely days after he was slapped with a ban.

The midfielder's football future was plunged into uncertainty after he was handed a four-year ban.