Mueez Ajao
– Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will miss France’s World Cup defence in Qatar as he needs more time to recover from a knee operation.
– Pogba, 29, has not played for the Serie A side this season since re-joining from Manchester United in the summer.
– He suffered a knee injury in July and initially opted not to have surgery in a bid to be fit for the tournament.
Also Read: World Cup: Deschamps speaks on Pogba and other France’s injured players
– France’s first World Cup match is against Australia on 22 November.
– In a statement on Monday, Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta said: “Following yesterday’s and today’s medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to inform Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from his surgery.
– “For this reason, Paul will not be able to join Juventus’ squad before the World Cup break nor the French national team in Qatar.”
Paul Pogba will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup due to new injury, confirmed by his agent Rafaela Pimenta. 🚨🇫🇷 #Pogba
Pogba has not played one single official game with Juventus since he signed the contract last July. pic.twitter.com/nn13g6xGIX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 31, 2022
– Pogba, whose last appearance for France came in a 5-0 friendly win over South Africa in March, returned to training early last month before opting for surgery, which had kept him on the sidelines until two weeks ago when he recommenced partial training with Juve.
– Italian media reports on Monday also suggested that Pogba had sustained a thigh injury to further set back his recovery, while Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri recently said it was “very unlikely” that the midfielder would play for the club before the World Cup.
– The news is a huge setback for reigning world champions France, who will also be without Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante for this year’s tournament.
– Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot are now expected to start in midfield for France in their World Cup opener against Australia on Nov. 22.
– Pogba was one of France’s most influential players in their 2018 World Cup triumph, scoring in the final victory over Croatia as they won the trophy for the second time.
– France will face Australia, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D at the World Cup finals.
