PARIS: Paul Pogba underwent successful knee surgery on Monday night, Juventus said as the France midfielder’s hopes of appearing at the World Cup hang in the balance.
“This evening, Paul Pogba underwent selective external arthroscopic meniscectomy,” Juve said in a statement.
“The surgery, performed by Prof. Roberto Rossi in the presence of the Juventus Team Doctor, Luca Stefanini was a complete success.”
The 29-year-old injured the meniscus in his right knee in July and initially opted against surgery in a bid to be fit for the World Cup which kicks off on November 19.
However after returning to training on Sunday Pogba changed his mind about an operation which according to multiple reports could keep him out of action for as long as two months.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri had already plunged into doubt his availability at the Qatar tournament earlier on Monday when he revealed that Pogba would go under the knife.
Allegri said that Juve “needed to be realistic,” saying that Pogba would probably not play for Juve until January after rejoining from Manchester United in the close season.
Pogba was a star performer in 2018 when France were crowned World champions.
Juve play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Pogba undergoes ‘successful’ knee surgery with World Cup at risk
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Pogba undergoes ‘successful’ knee surgery with World Cup at risk
Rabiot double lifts Milan after early scare at Como
- Milan are second in the standings on 43 points, three behind rivals Inter Milan and three clear of Napoli in third, while Como are sixth with 34 points
COMO, Italy: AC Milan came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory at Como on Thursday, with Adrien Rabiot scoring twice to keep the away side in the Serie A title race.
Milan are second in the standings on 43 points, three behind rivals Inter Milan and three clear of Napoli in third, while Como are sixth with 34 points.
Como made the brighter start and took the lead after 10 minutes when Marc-Oliver Kempf rose to head home a corner.
Despite the hosts controlling much of the first half, Milan struck in stoppage time as Christopher Nkunku calmly converted from the penalty spot after Kempf was penalized for pushing Rabiot.
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan produced a series of strong saves to keep Como at bay after the break before Milan took the lead in the 55th minute when Rabiot knocked the ball in from close range.
Como were denied an equalizer as Nico Paz saw his effort from outside the box crash against the crossbar. Milan then sealed the win two minutes from time when Rabiot caught the Como defense off guard with a low strike from distance that crept into the bottom corner.
“This was a team victory, we showed our mentality,” Rabiot told DAZN after being named Man of the Match.
“We suffered a lot in the first half, but we talked during the break, came out with a different mentality, we all came out fighting for the three points.
“We gave something extra and I am very happy to score two goals, obviously, but above all I’m pleased with the mentality of the team.”
While Rabiot provided the goals, another Frenchman, goalkeeper Maignan, made his mark with a string of crucial saves.
“We knew that playing here would be difficult, we were well-prepared. We started a little sluggish and they scored, but we managed to keep the game open, and then all together started to play as a team,” Maignan said.
“We know these are great nights for Milan with an atmosphere like this. We suffered, we used up a lot of energy and left it all on the field.”
