France midfielder Paul Pogba is set to miss the World Cup due to continuing knee problems.
Pogba returned to training with Juventus only this month following surgery on his right knee in September. He has not played since returning to Juventus from Manchester United due to a new injury.
Tests in Italy and the US confirmed the 29-year-old will not be fit in time for the 2022 World Cup, which starts on the 20th of November.
France are the reigning world champions, having won the title in Russia four years ago.
“We won’t see him until 2023, and his entourage have confirmed that also he will be out of the World Cup,” a Juventus spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday.
“After medical exams yesterday and today, it is extremely painful to announce that Paul Pogba needs more rehabilitation after his operation,” his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said in a statement on Monday.
“For that reason, Paul can’t be part of the France team in Qatar.”
Paul Pogba will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup due to new injury, confirmed by his agent Rafaela Pimenta. 🚨🇫🇷 #Pogba
Pogba has not played one single official game with Juventus since he signed the contract last July. pic.twitter.com/nn13g6xGIX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 31, 2022
Pogba underwent surgery after tearing his meniscus during Juventus’s preseason tour of the United States in July, two weeks after rejoining the Italian club from Manchester United.
However, it has been a rough period for him since. He has also been mired in an extortion scandal involving his older brother and childhood friends.
Pogba last played in an official match in April.
France are due to begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar against Australia on November 22. They will also face Denmark and Tunisia in Group D.
France coach Didier Deschamps is set to announce his squad on November 9.
France will also be without the 2018 World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kanté who is out for several months after surgery on a hamstring injury.
Centre-back Raphael Varane is also in doubt for the World Cup, having sustained a hamstring injury playing for Manchester United.
