Former Man Utd and current France midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly been banned from attending the World Cup final despite plans being put in place to fly over.
The Juventus playmaker has missed out on the whole tournament having sustained an injury just weeks after his return to Turin at the end of his Red Devils contract. He underwent surgery in an effort to play at the tournament but to no avail.
Despite that, the 29-year-old has been offering his words of support for his French teammates. With France having reached their second consecutive final against Argentina, Pogba sent his words of support in a stirring video message.
He said: “Together! I am with you. I give you all my strength. All my strength has this group there. That's my band, that's my guys.”
Whilst Pogba was forced to miss out on the World Cup itself, it appears plans have been put in place for him to attend the final at the Lusail Stadium. As per L’Equipe, France president Emmanuel Macron is keen on bringing along the side’s injured absentees to the Middle East for the final in the hope that his country will be lifting their second consecutive title.
However, there might well be problems facing Pogba should he want to fly to Qatar despite the midfielder having expressed his preference to attend. As per the reports, his current club Juventus are not keen on him going on a long-haul flight whilst he is still recovering.
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The 2018 winner’s recovery from a knee injury has been slower than expected. He has still not returned to training, with the Italian giants not willing to let Pogba’s return be jeopardised any further.
It is a similar situation for Bayern Munich left-back Lucas Hernandez. The defender was injured in France’s opening game of the tournament and like Pogba has undergone surgery for a knee problem.
The German giants have also apparently prevented Hernandez from making the six-hour flight to Qatar - a decision that will certainly be likely to wrangle with the defender. Should France be successful in becoming the first side since 1962 to defend their title, he would miss out on the celebrations alongside his brother Theo - the AC Milan star now having become Didier Deschamps ' first-choice left-back .
Whilst Pogba and Hernandez both appear unlikely to be in Qatar, one man who could intriguingly return is Real Madrid star and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema. The Frenchman was injured in training in the opening days of the tournament.
Recent reports have suggested that he could be welcomed back into the fold by Deschamps - something that the France boss has refused to comment on. Asked in a press conference if Benzema could return, he replied: "I don't really want to answer that question. Next question. I do apologise."
However, other reports have suggested Benzema will snub the opportunity to attend the final as he continues to work on his fitness.
