RIO FERDINAND has advised Paul Pogba to speak out after he was handed a four-year ban for doping.

Pogba tested positive for testosterone last year and was subsequently banned for four years.

2

2

Juventus are considering terminating his contract as the Frenchman will be 34 years old by the time the ban ends.

Pogba, 30, has released a statement revealing his sadness and heartbreak and claiming the decision to suspend him was “wrong”.

He denied any wrongdoing, but Ferdinand believes he should still speak directly to the media and suggests he should appear on a show like his.

Ferdinand said on his Atmosphere with Five podcast: “If I had my time again and I was Paul Pogba now and I’m innocent, I’m chatting, I’m telling people this is what happened.

“I think he needs to speak – whether they think this is messing up the trial, not – they gave him a four year suspension, I don’t think it will be two years if he appeals, because these people want to make sure they get their amount of blood.

“He has to take care of himself here.”

Ferdinand, 45, was banned from football for eight months in 2003 after missing a drugs test.

He revealed that lawyers told him at the time not to speak out, but he regrets that decision and told Pogba he needed to hear from him.

The former England star added: “I am well placed to sit here and talk about this because I have been through this.

I’m not going to immediately say he’s guilty as I’ve been in this position and I know Paul, I need to hear from him and see some facts.

“My lawyers and the club have told me, let the lawyers deal with it and let it run its course and I hope they will do the right thing by you.”

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been handed a four-year football ban after failing a drugs test last August.

The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ first match of the season against Udinese and was handed his harsh punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor’s office in Italy on Thursday.

Pogba’s lawyers had rejected a plea deal and hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after he claimed he accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test.

However, the prosecutor did not believe Pogba’s defense and he has now been handed a ban that could potentially end his career. Pogba has confirmed his intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pogba turns 31 next month, meaning he won’t be able to return to the field until he’s almost 35 unless his appeal is successful.

Pogba’s suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.

After coming through United’s academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and went on to win four consecutive Serie A titles.

This convinced the Red Devils to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016 for a world record fee of £89 million.

Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but struggled to reach the same heights at club level.

During his six years back in England, Pogba won the Europa League and League Cup with United but failed to turn them into Premier League title contenders.

In his last match, he limped off after ten minutes as United suffered a dismal 4-0 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.

He left the thirteen-time Premier League champions for the second time in 2022 on a free transfer to return to Juventus, where he wanted to revive his career.

But his first year back in Turin proved disastrous as he missed most of the campaign due to injury.

Pogba started just one match all season after being sidelined with knee, groin and hamstring problems.

He was named on the bench for their opening match of the 2023/24 season, but was an unused substitute in their 3–0 win over Udinese.

After that match he returned for a test which led to him receiving a four-year ban.

The substance found in his system was DHEA, which can naturally increase testosterone levels.

Pogba requested a test of his B sample, but this too came back positive in October, causing Juventus to consider terminating his contract.

He was adamant from the start that he had no idea how the substance got into his system and that he was not looking for a sporting advantage.

There was also a previous case in Serie A that suggested Pogba might not receive such a heavy sanction.

In 2018, Brazilian forward Joao Pedro from Cagliari faced a four-year ban after testing positive for a diuretic. Pedro insisted that he had unknowingly consumed contaminated nutritional supplements and, pardon me, his argument was swallowed.

As a result, he was handed a six-month suspension, most of which was served during pre-season.

Perhaps hoping for a similar punishment, Pogba worked to keep himself in shape as he waited to learn his fate.

His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, also claimed in November that he was optimistic about his possible suspension and had not given up hope of playing again.

However, following Thursday’s ruling, he will now have to serve a lengthy suspension.

Paul Pogba blames ‘mental problems’ for his injury-plagued season at Juventus that limited him to just SIX Serie A appearances

• Paul Pogba has given an honest assessment of his struggles at Juventus last season
• The Frenchman was plagued by injuries and played just six league matches
• Pogba has blamed ‘mental problems’ as the reasons for successive problems

By Ryan Walker for Mailonline

published: 10:36 AM EDT, Jun 17, 2023 | Updated: 10:38 am EDT, Jun 17, 2023