PAUL POGBA is OUT of the World Cup after picking up another thigh injury, his agent has confirmed.
The Frenchman suffered a fresh knock in training for Juventus that is set to keep him out for at least three weeks.
Pogba underwent medical tests in Turin and Pittsburgh which indicated he also still needed to recover from the knee surgery he had in September.
Agent Rafaela Pimenta told Telefoot that despite the midfielder wanting to be ready for the World Cup, which starts on November 19, he would instead need to be patient.
She said: “Paul would like to return as quickly as he can but he has to arm himself with patience, work hard in these difficult times, and give his best to be back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible.”
It means that he will not feature again for Juventus before the World Cup despite early hopes that his knee surgery would see him return prior to the tournament.
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The former Manchester United star re-joined Juventus over the summer after leaving Old Trafford on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract.
However, before Pogba could make his second debut for the Old Lady he was struck down with a lesion of the lateral meniscus in his right knee.
It left him with an agonising choice to make over whether or not he should have surgery.
And despite seeking alternative measures to fix his issue, he then agreed to have surgery in hopes of boosting his World Cup chances.
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However, he has failed to recover in time and leaves France stricken with a number of fellow key stars from the 2018 World Cup-winning side doubtful or out.
Man Utd’s Raphael Varane and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante will also miss the tournament, with France’s casualty list reading like the stuff of nightmares for the two-time champions.
Similarly, England have concerns over injuries to key stars such as big-name defenders Reece James and Kyle Walker who are both in a desperate race against time.
James has flown out to Dubai in hopes of speeding along his rehabilitation after suffering a knee injury on October 11 that came with an eight-week recovery time.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk