The last few months have proven to be quite horrific for French star midfielder Paul Pogba. After allegations about his brother blackmailing and harassing him for money while also spreading lies about him to his teammates, Pogba is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines despite sealing a move back to his former club Juventus in the summer transfer window.
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Monday that Pogba needs surgery for his knee injury and may not be available to be called up to the team until January which ends up casting a major shadow of doubt on his participation for France during the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar which begins in November.
Earlier, the 29-year-old midfielder had decided to pass on surgery after taking extensive damage to his meniscus during training just after securing his return to Italy with Juventus as a free agent once his contract with Manchester United expired over the summer.
However, according to Allegri’s latest updates, circumstances change following his most recent attempts to return to training.
“This morning he trained for the second time but then stopped and it was then decided that he undergo surgery. We will realistically get him back in January,” Allegri told reporters before Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain, a match which they ended up losing 2-1 thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappe at the Parc des Princes.
When asked about whether it meant that he would be unavailable for France in their World Cup defence in Qatar later this year, Allegri said that it wasn’t his problem. “The World Cup is not my problem, Juventus’ problem is that he comes back in January.”
It goes without saying that Pogba was one of the key names for France during their successful 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia which helped them lift the second World Cup trophy in their history. The star midfielder also scored a long-range goal in the final which helped France beat Croatia 4-2.
The injury is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Pogba who has had to endure a troubled spell at Old Trafford, the club he originally left Juventus for in 2016. However, things didn’t quite work out for him as he faded away from being one of the most promising talents in world football to becoming an afterthought in Manchester constantly surrounded by bad press.
While his summer return to Juventus was expected to be a revitalizing move in his career, Pogba has now been affected by a tricky long-term injury and it remains to be seen how the situation develops over the next months.