Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has appeared to blame Paul Pogba for the French midfielder being ruled out of the World Cup through injury after he chose not to undergo surgery in pre-season.
Pogba has been suffering from a fresh thigh problem which has put paid to his chances of being fit for the tournament in Qatar.
The latest setback has officially ruled him out of the World Cup as it will keep him on the sidelines for a further three weeks.
The ex-Manchester United midfielder, who has been out with a troubling meniscus injury since pre-season, has yet to feature for Juventus after re-joining the club on a free transfer this summer.
Pogba visited a specialist in August and was convinced not to undergo surgery in the hope of returning for Juventus by mid-September.
Allegri, who is under pressure at Juventus after their Champions League exit and uncharacteristically poor start to the Serie A campaign, admitted he has yet to speak with the 29-year-old since the latest injury setback.
‘Not yet,’ he said ahead of Juventus’ match against PSG on Wednesday. ‘I spoke to him earlier. It’s pointless repeating what has already been said.
‘Once the decision was made not to have surgery at the start of the season, it was normal that hopes that he could return with Juventus and France were slim.
‘He’s sorry for Juventus and the World Cup, it’s normal, we were penalised for not having him available.’
His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, confirmed he would miss the tournament earlier this week.
‘Paul would like to resume as soon as possible but he must be patient, work hard in these difficult times and give the best of himself to be back on the field for the fans and his team as soon as possible,’ Pimenta told Telefoot.
Pogba played a pivotal role during France’s World Cup triumph in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia.
The reigning champions will be without both Pogba and N’Golo Kante in the engine room, as the Chelsea star was ruled out of the World Cup earlier this month with a hamstring injury.
France are also sweating on the fitness of United centre-back Raphael Varane, who appeared distraught as he was forced off with injury in his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Credit: dailymail.co.uk
