Paul Pogba has reportedly returned to the Manchester United sidelines and will miss ‘a few weeks’ after suffering a recurrence of his recent ankle injury.
The France international recently made his comeback from a three-month spell out of action but wasn’t named in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad for Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat away to Arsenal.
Solskjaer spoke to BT Sport (via Goal) before kick-off at the Emirates Stadium: “He’s injured. He’s feeling some discomfort in his ankle and he’ll be out for a few weeks, definitely.”
Pogba, 26, has missed the majority of United’s season thus far and has made only eight appearances across all competitions. His diminishing influence on first-team affairs at Old Trafford has coincided with growing rumours that he might link up with Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.
Solskjaer’s assured demeanour suggests his estimate of a few weeks could be on the conservative side, with his last absence having dragged on longer than initially expected.
Scotland international Scott McTominay has excelled at points so far this season and filled the void left by Pogba in the engine room, though he’s expected to be out until March with a knee injury, per the Daily Mail.
The Red Devils have come to rely on midfield backups such as Fred, Andreas Pereira and Nemanja Matic, who will share more minutes stepping in for their fallen team-mates.
Pogba appears to be at risk of missing the Carabao Cup semi-final home-and-away legs against rivals Manchester City. United host Pep Guardiola’s side on January 7 before traveling to the Etihad Stadium on January 29.
The team sits fifth in the Premier League and are set to face Club Brugge in the Europa League round of 32 in February, but Pogba’s latest setback may limit his involvement in the upcoming schedule.
