Paul Pogba will reportedly skip an operation to boost his chances of playing in Qatar
Pogba was faced with a tough choice ahead of the Qatar World Cup. © James Williamson / AMA / Getty Images
French midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly decided against receiving surgery after he injured his knee in one of his first training sessions with his new club Juventus.
Pogba, who returned to Turin for a second spell following the expiration of his contract at Manchester United, is understood to have injured the meniscus in his knee but is said to have concerns that if he underwent an operation, the resulting time on the sidelines could deal a crushing blow to his World Cup hopes.
The creative playmaker was a focal point of the French team who won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he formed an impressive tandem with Chelsea workhorse N’Golo Kante.
It is thought that Pogba will instead undergo a campaign of rest and rehabilitation so as to boost his chances of being selected in Didier Deschamps’ squad for the tournament, which kicks off on November 21 in Qatar.
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Surgery, along with an ensuing rehabilitation phase, would almost certainly rule the 29-year-old, who has 91 caps for his country, out of the World Cup.
It was reported by Italy’s Tuttosport that Pogba will undergo “conservative therapy” in a bid to return to full fitness, which is understood to involve three weeks of physical work in the gym and swimming pool, to be followed by two weeks of individual training with Juventus.
However, Pogba’s decision is thought that have provoked the ire of his new club who wanted him to undergo surgery which would end his World Cup hopes, but make him available for selection in the second half of the season.
Juventus announced Pogba’s return to the club last month on a four-year contract; a move which brought an end to a largely unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford after he rejoined Manchester United in a then-world record transfer in 2016.
Pogba had initially joined the Red Devils as a 16-year-old before leaving for Juventus (for the first time) in 2012 – a transfer which prompted legendary coach Alex Ferguson to accuse the teenage Pogba of disrespecting the club.
Almost exactly a decade later, Pogba would again leave Manchester on a free transfer to the Serie A giants.
