Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is set to sit out more games after suffering a thigh injury while taking free kicks.
This means that the 29-year-old will not feature for France at the start of France’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
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Paul Pogba is to be out for about three weeks and missed Juve’s Europa League win over Freiburg last week. In addition, he missed Sunday’s 4-2 win over Sampdoria.
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“This morning Pogba was taking free-kicks and felt a twinge in his adductor,” Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said after Sunday’s game.
A club statement:
“a low-grade tear to his right thigh adductor”.
“He has already started with the rehabilitation process aimed at resuming competitive activity,” it added.
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Pogba last Wednesday was dropped for the first game against Freiburg after being late for a team meeting and the return is set to be on Thursday.
Pogba has only made two substitute appearances since rejoining Juve from Manchester United last summer, with the first of those coming on 28 February.
The 2018 World Cup winner last appeared for United in April 2022 and suffered a calf injury in a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool which ruled him out for the remainder of last season.
He suffered a knee injury in pre-season. However, initially opted not to get an operation, fearing it would rule him out of last year’s World Cup.
The French man had returned to Juve squad in January, but he suffered another muscular problem that further delayed his return to action.
A group B fixture sees France against the Netherlands at the Stade de France on Friday, 24 March, before the World Cup runners-up visit the Republic of Ireland three days later.
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The Old Lady’s first game after the international break is at home to Hellas Verona on 1 April.
Juventus are out of the Serie A title race after 15 points were axed from their tally for breaching Italian football financial regulations. Their best way back to the UEFA Champions League is by winning the Europa League for automatic qualification. The Bianconeri have a tough task and are 7th in Serie A.
A new report from Gazzetta dello Sport has outlined that, unsurprisingly, the Juventus hierarchies are less than enthused at how Pogba’s return has played out over the past few months – and that drastic action could be taken.
It is claimed that the club are considering a number of options ahead of the summer. The first option would be renegotiating Pogba’s lucrative deal with a view to him taking a pay cut as an ‘act of responsibility’ in the wake of his poor season. An alternative option would be for the club to keep things as they are in the hope things improve next season. The third – and most drastic – option, would be to seek an arrangement which would see the two parties rip up the four-year deal Pogba signed back in July.
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