Pogba set to miss World Cup after suffering fresh injury set-back

As reported by French outlet L’Équipe on Monday, Paul Pogba looks set to miss next month’s World Cup with France after picking up another injury.

The Juventus player’s latest issue is a thigh injury that will keep him out of action for the next three weeks, meaning he will almost certainly miss the tournament in Qatar.

France manager Didier Deschamps has indicated he will only call up players who are match-fit in time for the opening game against Australia on 22 November.

Kanté to miss out
The France squad will be announced on 9 November. Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté is also going to miss the reigning champions’ attempt to retain the trophy this winter. Raphaël Varane and Mike Maignan are major doubts going into the tournament.

Deschamps’ injury issues
Deschamps recently discussed the injury crisis Les Bleus face with just weeks to go before the start of the 2022 World Cup, and said that he would only be selecting players who are match-fit by the time the tournament kicks off.

“There are important stages – one, is that the player has recovered, that’s a condition, without that there isn’t even a question to be asked,” Deschamps said.

“The second thing is to evaluate their athletic condition. But this second condition can only exist if the first one is guaranteed. Everything depends on how long they will have been out for, the number of matches they will have played between their injury and when they join up with us, and a third aspect, which is the competition in that position.”

On injured players
“I’ve said it before, I’ve never gone to a major competition with an injured player. Going to a major competition with players who aren’t fit takes up too much attention, and for those who do play it takes up the medical staff’s time,” he added.