Pogba reportedly opts against surgery in boost to World Cup hopes

Paul Pogba has reportedly opted for therapy over surgery after meeting with a specialist to discuss his knee injury, and may even be back playing in just five weeks.

Having left Manchester United to return to Turin, Pogba was hoping for a fresh start, only to suffer a knee injury in the early weeks of his second spell with Juventus.

The France midfielder complained of his injury while with Juve on their pre-season tour of the United States, and initial checks led the Italian club to announce he had suffered a lesion of the lateral meniscus.

There were fears the 29-year-old could miss the rest of the calendar year if he opted for surgery.

However, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Pogba consulted with world-renowned knee surgeon Professor Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet in Lyon and it was agreed he would undergo therapy over surgery, meaning he should be back in action in approximately five weeks.

Pogba was a key part of the France team that lifted the World Cup in 2018, and this news will be a boost to his chances of being fully fit to help defend the trophy in Qatar later this year.

#PogbackToBack    pic.twitter.com/ROHDIr2BSs

— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) July 11, 2022

Pogba spent four years at Juve between 2012 and 2016, winning four Serie A titles in that period before moving to United for a then world record fee of £89.3million (€105m).

The World Cup begins on November 21 in Qatar, and France boss Didier Deschamps would want 91-cap Pogba to have proven his fitness well in advance of the tournament getting under way.