Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended from playing after a doping control detected the banned substance.

Pogba tested positive for testosterone after Juve’s 3-0 win over Udinese on August 20, according to Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado).

Pogba, 30, of France, was an unused substitute but was chosen at random for post-match drug testing.

If found guilty of doping, he could face a two- to four-year ban.

“Juventus Football Club announces that today, 11 September 2023, the footballer Paul Labile Pogba received a precautionary suspension order from the National Anti-Doping Tribunal following the results of tests conducted on 20 August 2023,” the club said in a statement.

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

When they discovered the prohibited substance “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites” and the results were “consistent with the exogenous origin of the target compounds,” Nado said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules.

Testosterone is a hormone that improves athletes’ endurance.

Pogba has three days to provide Nado with a counter-analysis of the result.

Pogba was re-signed by Juventus on a four-year contract in July 2022 after his contract at Manchester United expired and he became a free agent.

However, Pogba’s return to Turin has been marred by ongoing injury issues, which forced him to miss last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Pogba has played 51 minutes as a substitute this season in games against Bologna and Empoli.

He played 108 minutes in six Serie A games last season, three brief appearances and one assist in the Europa League, and 11 minutes in the Coppa Italia for a total of 162 minutes and no goals.

Pogba’s injury woes resurfaced recently, with Juventus manager Massimo Allegri claiming the player suffered a minor back injury during his appearance against Empoli.

Photo by EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO