Manchester United star Paul Pogba could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks after he sustained a muscular problem in the 3-1 win over Basel in the Champions League opener. The France international was surprisingly named as captain on the night, but his appearance was shortlived after he broke down with the injury in the 19th minute.
It was predicted initially that United could be without Pogba for around a month, but according to The Times, United are fearful that their leading midfielder may not feature for the remainder of the year. The 24-year-old has suffered a grade three tear on his left hamstring with potential tendon damage, and further MRI scans are due to be held to confirm the long-term injury.
As a result, Pogba looks set to miss five Champions League games while he will play no part against the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City in the first half of the campaign. The news has not gone well with Jose Mourinho, who had previously urged the Frenchman to avoid training prior to the Champions League outing versus Basel.
Pogba made the use of a personal trainer prior to the Basel game, and United source confirms that the injury is ‘really bad’ with the midfielder having suffered the injury while losing his footing, rather than sprinting, he said: “The injury is really bad. It’s not normal for a player respecting our training programme.”
Despite his injury, Mourinho is not overly worried about the situation as the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick can step up in his absence. Nemanja Matic has cemented his spot at the heart of United’s midfield, and Fellaini looks a probable candidate to partner the Serbian when he faces his ex-club Everton on Sunday afternoon.
Fellaini has impressed from the substitutes’ bench since the start of the season, and he recently bagged the man of the match award after bagging a goal and assist in the 3-1 triumph over Basel.
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