Qatar World Cup 2022: Will Pogba's absence hurt France? Lloris gives ultimate response
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 2, 2022, 4:10 PM ISTFrance's midfielder Paul Pogba will miss the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar as he needs more time to recover from knee surgery.
In what may come as a massive blow for defending champions France, their star midfielder Paul Pogba will miss the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar as he needs more time to recover from knee surgery. The Juventus star, whose career has been marred with injury woes, is expected to be out of action for at least another three weeks.
Also read: Qatar World Cup: Paul Pogba ruled out of France's squad with knee injury, confirms agent
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Regarding Pogba's absence from the French squad for the upcoming showpiece tournament, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said it would be a big miss for the team.
Speaking to the media after Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 win against Marseille in their Champions League campaign, Lloris said, "There was always a hope to see him again. He is a very important player, more than important for the team. He's been suffering from injuries for a few months now; he didn't play much last season. Of course, it will be a big miss."
"Now the coach will make his choices. When you start a competition, you have to have great confidence in all the players selected. Then it will be up to all the selected players to create this synergy and to make us strong together," the French goalkeeper added.
On Monday, Pogba's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, stated, "Following yesterday and today's medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to inform Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from his surgery. For this reason, Paul will not be able to join Juventus' squad before the World Cup break nor the French National Team in Qatar."
Pogba hasn't played for Juve since re-signing for them from Manchester United in the summer, hurting the meniscus in his right knee in July. The midfielder initially elected not to go under the knife in a bid to make the Qatar tournament which kicks off on November 20. However, after returning to training early last month, the Frenchman changed his mind and opted for surgery.
Missing the World Cup adds to Pogba's challenging year, including his suspected involvement in an extortion conspiracy involving his brother. Mathias Pogba was charged last month along with four other people, all close to the 2018 World Cup winner, who filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors in July which said he was being blackmailed for 13 million euros.
By saying that he ordered a marabout (holy man) to cast a spell on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France sensation Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies, his blackmailers tried to damage his reputation, according to what the Juventus star told investigators.
France will kick start their World Cup campaign on November 23, when they face Australia in a Group D clash. Denmark and Tunisia are the other two teams in the defending champions' group draw.
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