Paul Pogba will reportedly miss the World Cup after suffering another injury set back.
The France international, 29, has not played since suffering a knee injury in pre-season. He was initially expected to be out until September but was forced to have surgery to fix his damaged meniscus, a procedure that threatened to end his World Cup dream.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri told reporters that Pogba wouldn't play for his team again until after the tournament in Qatar, but he made a surprise return to first-team training earlier this month. Yet it's thought the midfielder has now suffered a fresh injury.
As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, Pogba has sustained a thigh injury in training and is unlikely to be fit in time for France's World Cup opener against Australia in Al-Wakrah on November 22. France's other group games are against Denmark and Tunisia.
It's believed Pogba was working towards being fully fit in time for the tournament and the second half of the European season. He was not planning on featuring in any of Juventus' remaining four fixtures before the international action gets underway shortly.
Pogba's new injury will reportedly delay his progress by another 10 days, leaving Didier Deschamps in a difficult situation. The France manager must decide on whether to take a huge gamble on the 91-cap international, with other midfielders at his disposal.
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The likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Youssouf Fofana and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi have all impressed in recent months and may feel aggrieved if Deschamps picks Pogba - a player with no match fitness - ahead of them.
As there are no friendlies before the World Cup, Pogba does not have the opportunity to get any minutes under his belt ahead of the Australia clash. Deschamps has already lost one important midfielder - Chelsea ace N'Golo Kante - to a hamstring injury.
Pogba was a key member of the France squad that won the World Cup in Russia four years ago. He started all but one of their seven fixtures in that tournament and scored in the 4-2 win against Croatia in the final. France are among the favourites to win again in 2022.
Pogba re-joined Juventus on a free transfer in the summer after his difficult six-year spell at Manchester United came to an end. He was re-signed by the Red Devils for a world-record transfer fee of £89million in August 2016 but went on to win just two trophies.
The Frenchman enjoyed significant success during his first spell at Juventus between 2012 and 2016. He won eight trophies - including four Serie A titles - and will be hoping to add to that tally in the coming years, but he's yet to make his second debut.
Juventus are enduring a difficult campaign. Allegri's side are currently seventh in Serie A - 10 points behind leaders Napoli - and have already been knocked out of the Champions League. They have won three consecutive league games, however.
