Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will miss France’s World Cup defense in Qatar as he needs more time to recover from knee surgery.
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 undergo surgery to be fit for the tournament.
France’s first match in the World Cup will be against Australia on November 22.
In a statement on Monday, Pogba’s agent Raffaella Pimenta said: “Following medical assessments yesterday and today in Turin and Pittsburgh, it is with great regret that Paul Pogba still needs time to recover from his surgery. .
“For this reason, Paul will not be able to join the Juventus squad before the World Cup break, nor the French national team in Qatar.”
Pogba, whose last appearance for France came in a 5-0 friendly win over South Africa in March, returned to training earlier last month before opting for surgery, which took him until two weeks ago. had begun part-time training with Juve, keeping them apart until then. .
Reports in the Italian media on Monday also suggested that Pogba had suffered a thigh injury to further his recovery, while Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri recently said it was “very unlikely”. That the midfielder will play for the club ahead of the World Cup.
