France midfielder Paul Pogba will miss the upcoming World Cup as he continues rehabilitation from a knee injury suffered in July.
Pogba has not played for Juventus since rejoining the Serie A giants this summer, having torn his meniscus in July during pre-season.
France kick-off their tournament in Qatar on November 22 against Australia, with barely three weeks for the 29-year-old to return to fitness.
Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement: “Following yesterday and today’s medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to inform Paul will still need recovery time 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.
“If wishful thinking would change things, Paul would be playing tomorrow. But what changes things are hard work, resilience and discipline, all of which are the only things in Paul’s mind at these challenging times. Paul will continue working giving his very best to be back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible.”
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.
