Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that Paul Pogba is ready to make his second debut for the club, if required, in the Turin derby against Torino this evening.
Pogba has yet to appear for the club since rejoining on a free transfer from Manchester United in the summer after undergoing surgery on a knee injury picked up in pre-season.
The French World Cup winner was on the bench for their home defeat to Monza at the end of January, but Allegri decided not to risk the midfielder, despite the desperate circumstances, and Pogba has not featured in a matchday squad since.
When speaking to the media ahead of the upcoming Turin derby, Allegri said: "He's better, he'll be called up tomorrow."
However, he all but confirmed that Pogba will start on the bench and his involvement will heavily depend on how the match plays out, saying: "If there's a need tomorrow, we'll put him on, he certainly won't be able to play a lot of minutes."
Juventus go into the derby eighth in the Serie A table, just one place and one point ahead of their local rivals, due to the hefty 15-point deduction given to them last month.
They did comfortably see off Nantes 4-1 on aggregate in the Europa League to reach the last 16 though, and with Freiburg to come in that competition, and Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, the return of Pogba will add another much-needed body to the squad during a busy period.
Andrew Delaney
