ROME, Italy (AFP) – Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after a doping control detected elevated levels of testosterone, Italian anti-doping authorities (NADO) told AFP on Monday.

After a nightmare season between injuries and a blackmail affair, the 30-year-old’s dreams of bouncing back were shattered by the alleged doping offence after Juventus’s 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.

On Monday the 2018 world champion had told Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera of his “desire to play” after a “difficult year” which could have “destroyed” him.

Instead he received a new blow.

NADO said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”.

Juventus said in a statement that Pogba had “received a precautionary suspension”.

“The club reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps,” the statement added.

The test concerns the ‘A’ sample, and if the ‘B’ sample also tests positive for testosterone Pogba could face a four-year ban.

Pogba rejoined Juventus in July 2022 from Manchester United.

From 2012 to 2016 he had helped Juve win four Serie A titles and two Italian Cups and reach the Champions League final in 2015.

Pogba had been a star player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph but had an awful 2022-2023 season blighted by injury and a multimillion-euro blackmail plot involving childhood friends and one of his brothers.

He played just 10 games for Juventus that season and missed the 2022 World Cup with France.

Last season he played six Serie A games but had been slated for a return to action against Lazio at the weekend and said in the interview with Al Jazeera he was raring to go.

“I’ve had a difficult year so I’ve this anger and this wish to play football,” Pogba told Al Jazeera.