Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna has talked-up the possibility of his close friend Paul Pogba making a spectacular return to Manchester United on a free transfer.

Pogba received a four-year doping ban earlier this year after taking an illegal substance, but that has since been reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The midfielder's argument that he took the substance unintentionally was accepted, and he can therefore resume training in January before being available again for selection on March.

Pogba's contract at Juventus will officially be terminated at the end of this month, and there has been a host of speculation surrounding his future in recent weeks, with the Frenchman available on a free transfer.

Sagna has said that the midfielder would be keen to discuss a return to Man United, with the Red Devils now under the management of exciting young Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim.

Pogba has been linked with a spectacular return to Man United

"It's a different situation today at Manchester United to when Paul was previously there," Sagna told Mega Dice. "United have a young coach, a coach that has been a player, a coach that understands the situation.

"He will probably be willing to have a player like Paul at his training sessions. Amorim was a player himself, so I'm sure the coach will be open to seeing him getting back home because he loves United. I have talked many times with Paul.

"He loves United. The only problem was the situation when he came back. That was a spell where things didn't go as well as they should have done, but Paul wasn't the only player that struggled at United during the time he was there."

Pogba started his professional career at Man United, but he only made seven first-team appearances for the club before leaving for Juventus, and a successful spell with the Old Lady saw him manage 34 goals in 178 appearances.

The midfielder then returned to Man United in 2016, going on to make 226 appearances for the club, before securing a return to Turin in July 2022, having again become available on a free transfer.

Is a return to Man United possible?

Pogba has only played 12 matches since his return to Juventus, so it will take some time for the midfielder to get his sharpness back, but he will be on the radar of a number of clubs considering his quality.

There has never been any doubt over his talent, but he struggled to fit into the Man United side during his last spell at the club, and it is very difficult to imagine him returning to Old Trafford to play under Amorim.

The Red Devils are preparing to overhaul their midfield in 2025, though, with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro two players who are set to move on, and Amorim might well believe that he can get a tune out of Pogba, who certainly has the skillset to operate as a central midfielder in the Portuguese's 3-4-3 system.