When Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to action after battling fitness issues for the past 10 months in Juventus' league showdown with Torino at the end of last month, the Italian football powerhouse's hierarchy hope it would represent a fresh start for their prodigal son. 

The 29-year-old French superstar, who returned to Juventus last summer as a free agent after reaching the end of his contract at Manchester United, suffered a serious knee injury in pre-season that forced him sit out the first half of the campaign and the Qatar World Cup where France reached the final.  

Although Pogba, who enjoyed a trophy-laden four-year stint with Juventus before moving to United, came back to the squad in January after a successful surgery, he suffered another muscular problem in training that further postponed his comeback. Little wonder that Bianconeri fans waited for Pogba's return in the game against Torino with bated breath.

The 2018 World Cup winner, whose last competitive appearance was for United in April 2022, duly came off the bench in the 69th minute with the score finely poised at 2-2 and helped Juventus grind out a morale-boosting victory. 

"It had been a long time since we wanted Pogba back with us and we are happy. With a game every three days, we need everyone available," beamed Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri after the triumph. 

Surely the fresh-looking Pogba will play an instrumental role in Juventus' push to the top four in the final stretch of the season? Much to the club's chagrin, however, it proved to be a false dawn. Again.

Pogba was left out of matchday squad for Juventus' Europa League last-16 first leg clash with Freiburg for disciplinary reasons after turning up late to a team dinner. He was then absent from the squad that swatted aside Sampdoria 4-2 over the weekened. 

And on Monday, the inevitable news ensued.  

Juventus announced that Pogba has picked up another thigh injury in training. "Pogba has already started with the rehabilitation process aimed at resuming competitive activity," read a statement. He is set to undergo further tests before a full diagnosis is delivered on his latest fitness setback.

"This morning Pogba was taking free-kicks and felt a twinge in his adductor," Allegri told reporters later in the day during a press briefing. "He will have tests tomorrow, but he will certainly not be there on Thursday or next Sunday, so we'll see him after the break for international duty." 

Pogba will now miss the second leg of Juventus' encounter with Freiburg later this week, as well as the much-anticipated blockbuster clash with arch-rivals Inter Milan. He will also miss the start of France's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, where they take on the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland in the upcoming international break. 

There is a growing sense that patience with Pogba is starting to wear thin. It didn't exactly help matters when Juventus were deducted 15 points in Serie A after being found guilty of inflating transfer values and lying to financial officials in an attempt to save money. 

According to mulitiple Italian media outlets, Juventus are considering a number of drastic options ahead of the summer. The first option would be forcing Pogba to take a pay cut in the wake of his injury-afflicted season. An alternative one would be to seek an early exit for Pogba, who could be allowed to negotiate with other clubs. 

While Pogba's stint at Manchester was also plagued by injuries, he still managed to make over 220 appearances in six years. Since rejoining the Bianconeri, he has been restricted to just 38 minutes of game time.  

For what it's worth, Pogba was still only 29, and Juventus might still manage to coax a few more brilliant seasons out of the prodigiously talented French midfielder. 

"Paul is back in Turin. He left as a boy and returns as a man and a champion, but there is one thing that has not changed – the desire to write unforgettable pages of club history together once more. Pogba is back and we couldn't be happier," enthused Juventus when confirming Pogba's arrival last summer. 

Yet given all that has happened between now and then, if the Juve-Pogba story turns out to have a sad ending, no one will be surprised.