The French national team will be officially stripped of the midfield doublet that contributed to the successful defense of their world championship in Russia in 2018.
The axe was thrown. Following in N’Golo Kanté’s footsteps, Paul Pogba has decided to withdraw from the World Cup (November 20-December 18). The French squad won’t be able to use the doublet that helped them reach the summit of the world in Russia four years ago. Instead, they will have to make do without it. This is a devastating blow for Didier Deschamps, but it is also not particularly surprising. After suffering a series of health setbacks following the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup, La Pioche considered resurrecting his career by moving on from Manchester United to Juventus during the summer of 2018. Except for the fact that the 29-year-old tricolor international (91 caps, 11 goals) has never been able to walk the pitch while wearing the black and white shirt of the Piedmontese club. You can put it down to a knee ailment. His most recent match, which he played for MU, was on April 19 against Liverpool (4-0 defeat).
He had just recently resumed his training, and he believed he was headed in the right direction. Max Allegri has contributed to the prevailing sense of optimism by announcing his team’s lineup not only for Juventus’ most recent game, which ended in a loss in Lecce (1-0) but also for the club’s upcoming two matches, which will take place against Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League match play on Wednesday and away from home on Saturday “99%” on Sunday when they play Inter. After the revelation of Deschamps’ list on November 9, the Italian head coach kept the door open for his player to make a comeback and play against Verona (November 10) or Lazio (November 13). As we discovered before, this strategy and the hopes of Seine-et-Marais were both derailed as a result of a thigh injury. The knee is the part that is in dispute here. “After undergoing medical testing both yesterday (Sunday) and today (Monday), it is incredibly upsetting to report that Paul Pogba will still require rehabilitation following his surgery (of a knee at the beginning of September). According to Rafaela Pimenta, Paul will not be able to join (…) the French team in Qatar due to this reason,” Pimenta said in a press release that was given to AFP on behalf of the former Torcy player. The tension is over, and the illusions have been shattered.
Read also: Paul Pogba’s World Cup red card was officially forfeited, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Who alongside Tchouaméni?
In any event, Deschamps was very clear: there was absolutely no possibility of taking an ailing player to Qatar in the hopes that he would get better while playing in the competition. As a result, the coach won’t have to inquire about Pogba at all. On the other hand, he will need to ponder the nature of his midfielder’s creation. The identity of Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni has been revealed.
Who should travel with him? That is the key issue to be addressed. Youssouf Fofana, a former teammate of his who now plays for Blue, has already had an impressive start to his career with Blue. Another player from Real, 19-year-old Eduardo Camavinga, and Adrien Rabiot, who plays for Juventus, are both candidates to start in the starting lineup. Not to mention the young men from Olympique de Marseille who play, such as Mattéo Guendouzi and Jordan Veretout. And why not a surprise, at least for a position in the group, like the Nicois Khéphren Thuram, the son of a particular Lilian? [Citation needed] “DD” had the opportunity to test other things and examine other choices because they were aware that Paul Pogba has not played for Blue since March of last year, during the 5-0 victory against South Africa, during which he assisted at the vital position. Plans B, due to unforeseen events, will have to be elevated to the status of plan A for the France team.