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Paul Pogba won't be able to help France defend their World Cup title
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FRANCK FIFE / AFP
French soccer star Paul Pogba will miss the World Cup finals in Qatar (November 20-December 18).
This was announced by the agent of the midfield star from Juventus Turin on Monday.
After detailed examinations in Turin and Pittsburgh, Pogba "needs time to recover from his operation," Rafaela Pimenta told the AFP news agency.
29-year-old Pogba returned to training with Italian record champions Juventus in mid-October after a month-long break.
He had to cancel this on Sunday.
Pogba initially turned down pre-season surgery after suffering a knee injury in training.
But the symptoms did not subside, so in September he decided to have an operation on the meniscus.
According to the newspaper Le Parisien, he has been suffering from an injury to his thigh for a few days.
He has not played for Juventus this season.
Recently there has been a lot of fuss about Pogba
Most recently, the French superstar was at the center of a blackmail affair.
His brother Mathias Pogba and four other men were reportedly taken into police custody in September for trying to blackmail the midfielder.
A few days later they had to be taken into custody.
The five suspects are said to have threatened to release an "explosive" revelation about the Juventus player.
At first it was unclear what kind of revelations should be.
It later became known that Paul Pogba is said to have paid a marabout - i.e. Islamic saint - to cause mischief for the Paris Saint-Germain club and its star Kylian Mbappé.
Paul Pogba denies these allegations.
In terms of sport, Pogba's absence is a severe blow for the reigning world champion, even if the 29-year-old has declined athletically in recent years and regularly disappointed at Manchester United, where he played from 2016 to 2022.
In addition to Pogba, Chelsea's N'Golo Kanté is also absent from the World Cup with a hamstring injury.
The eccentric Pogba and the quiet worker Kanté had formed the midfield center of the French team at the World Cup triumph in Russia and played a key role in the successful tournament.
On November 9th, France coach Didier Deschamps wants to announce his squad for the World Cup, the first opponent of the Équipe Tricolore is Australia on November 22nd.
kjo/sid/dpa