Quizzed on whether there is any chance of the talented midfielder being called up by France next summer, Leboeuf – speaking in association with ToonieBet – told GOAL: “Didier Deschamps really likes Paul Pogba. If Paul can come back to his best, which I doubt because it is complicated after such a long time without playing football – you can train but playing games is different, sorry. He has to go back.
“He is over 30 and there are other players who have shown their consistency. It’s going to be hard for Didier Deschamps to say ‘okay, I take him’. He maybe wants to take N’Golo Kante already. N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba… why don’t you call [Antoine] Griezmann as well and call [Zinedine] Zidane! It’s going to be hard. I give him a five per cent chance because I want to be nice, but for me it is over.”
Deschamps has previously said of Pogba earning a recall, with the last of his 91 caps being earned against South Africa in March 2022: “That will depend on him. I have no doubt that he wants it and that it’s a goal in his mind. He has steps to take, and the next one, after these long weeks of separate training, will be when he puts on the Monaco shirt and steps onto the pitch.
“He wants it, and if I say yes, Pogba’s return is possible, but if I say no, I’ll look like a fool, and that’s not going to work either. All I wish for him is to get through this first step in more than two-and-a-half years. That alone will be a huge joy and happiness for him.”
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