Paul Pogba is banned from football for four year for doping

ROME, Italy

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly been handed a four-year ban from football after failing a drugs test last August.

The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventus's first game of the season against Udinese, and was given his hefty punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor's office in Italy on Thursday.

Pogba's lawyers had rejected a plea deal and hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after claiming that he had accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test.

However, the prosecution did not believe Pogba's defence, and he has now been given a ban that could potentially end his career.

Pogba will turn 31 next month, meaning he would not be able to return to the pitch until he is almost 35. 

Pogba's suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.

After coming through United's academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and proceeded to win four straight Serie A titles.