From England to Italy, muscle glitches follow one another for "Pogboom".

Barely returned to Juve after a last season at Manchester United partly spent in the infirmary, the 2018 world champion is again at a standstill and his worrying injury four months before the World Cup (November 21 - 18 december).

Juventus is slow for the moment to communicate on the duration of unavailability of the player affected by a "damage to the lateral meniscus" and who, according to his club, had to submit quickly "to an orthopedic consultation".

According to a source in Pogba's entourage, the dilemma lies between surgery or not.

The operation could result in four months of absence at worst, too much for the World Cup, but also two months at best, which would leave time.

But the player could also treat himself without having surgery and thus avoid too long a period of convalescence, the same source explains.

According to Corriere dello Sport, a decisive medical consultation is scheduled for Thursday, "which will allow us to understand what is the best solution" for care.

Same story in the columns of La Gazzetta dello Sport, for whom the "risk" of a long-term absence, until the end of the calendar year, exists.

Deschamps' "credit"

The state of health of the "Pioche" must in any case cause some cold sweats to coach Didier Deschamps.

Because this umpteenth tile may already confirm the midfielder's package for France-Austria on September 22 and Denmark-France on September 25 in the League of Nations, the last gathering of the Blues before the World Cup in Qatar (November 21-18 december).

At 29, Pogba has not worn the Blues jersey since a demonstration against South Africa (5-0) in a friendly match on March 29.

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Injured in a calf at the end of April, he was still in the recovery phase during the June rally... And before that, he had already missed four months of competition, from November 2021 to February 2022, due to an injury to a thigh contracted precisely during a gathering of the Blues, on a harmless strike on the first day of the November internship.

"Paul had a complicated season with injuries and results that did not live up to his club's expectations," Deschamps summed up at the end of May, when Pogba's return to Juve had not yet been finalized.

At the time, the coach of the Blues, who had made the Kanté-Pogba tandem the keystone of the success of the Blues at the 2018 World Cup, hoped that the situation "may not (be) the same in October" .

For executives like him, "there is always credit for what they have been able to do in the French team over time, compared to the competition of the moment too. He is a framework, this experience is important , but on condition of being at a good level", warned Deschamps.

Tchouameni's competition

Without him, the Blues disappointed in the League of Nations, losing their title after two defeats and two draws against nations within their reach (Austria, Denmark and Croatia).

But the last meetings of the France team have seen the emergence at international level of the neo-Madrilenian Aurélien Tchouaméni, who represents an alternative to Pogba.

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On an individual level, this injury marks a new setback for Pogba, who hopes to revive his career by returning to his first love in Turin (2012-2016), after six seasons of injuries, disagreements with his coaches, inconstancy , but also a few brilliant shots at Manchester United.

Too little, however, for the supporters and also for the leaders of the Mancunian club, who let him leave without any financial compensation this summer, far from the 105 million euros disbursed in 2016 to bring him back to the north of the England, where he started his professional career (2011).

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© 2022 AFP