Pogba and Juve try to move beyond injury and scandal

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Paul Pogba and Juventus head into the Serie A season attempting to rebound from the turbulence of a campaign roiled by injury and scandal.

France midfielder Pogba, who missed almost all of last season after suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season, is gunning for a starting place in Juve's opening match at Udinese on Sunday.

His injury was the first big blow of a campaign which would bring a lot more, as off-field scandals led to the club's board stepping down, a points deductions and a ban from European football.

Juve finished seventh after eventually being docked 10 points for transfer irregularities. That would have given them a Conference League spot but European governing body UEFAthen banned them from continental competition for a year.

Few Juve fans, used to seeing their team in the Champions League, mourned the loss of a place in Europe's third tier tournament and it could be a blessing in disguise as the club tries to reset both on and off the pitch.

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Juve can focus on Serie A and potentially a title challenge in a league lacking a clear favourite.

Juve have had a low key transfer window, their business not helped by lack of Champions League football and the fact that their most recent annual accounts were 254.3 million euros ($277.4 million) in the red.

Yet last May, before Juve's punishment was confirmed — after 15 points were docked, and then given back they were second in the table behind runaway leaders Napoli.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri would stress the number of points Juve «earned on the pitch» to highlight how