France boss Didier Deschamps has now reacted to the doping scandal surrounding Paul Pogba.
Earlier this week, the midfielder was provisionally suspended by Italy's Anti-Doping Court after testing positive for testosterone in a casual test following a Serie A game he did not even feature in.
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This is the latest of several serious setbacks Pogba has endured since rejoining Juventus last season.
These include a witchcraft scandal, an extortion attempt against him reportedly led by his own brother, as well as a number of recurring injuries, which saw him miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with France.
His agent Rafaela Pimenta has since defended the Juventus player, insisting that he would not deliberately take illegal substances.
Following Les Bleus' shock 2-1 defeat to Germany in a friendly on Tuesday night, Deschamps was quizzed about Pogba's seemingly never-ending woes.
"I don't know all the facts. It's still an ongoing process," Deschamps told TF1.
"But there are so many bad things happening for Paul at the moment… It's tough."
The France boss also revealed that he has been in dialogue with Pogba since Monday, and when asked if one of his most trusted midfielders would intentionally take performance-enhancing drugs, Deschamps insisted he could not imagine this.
"I still remember discussions with him relating to COVID and vaccination. But the metabolites were there.
"As to know why and how, I don't think he himself knows, unfortunately.
"It's tough for him, I've always backed him. It's another setback for him."
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