France have suffered another major injury hit ahead of the World Cup, with Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba joining Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante on the champions’ absentee list.
Pogba has yet to play an official game for Juventus since his free transfer from Manchester United in the summer, and it has now been confirmed that he will be out of the upcoming tournament in Qatar.
Both Pogba and Kante were key for France as they won the World Cup four years ago, and it remains to be seen how Didier Deschamps will line up without these two experienced players.
Writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano admitted that this seemed like bad news for France, although he made it clear that he still sees them as one of the favorites to win the competition.
Les Bleus have talented young midfielders in the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, so their depth in midfield could mean Pogba and Kante don’t miss each other too much.
“Paul Pogba will miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a new injury, as confirmed by his agent Rafaela Pimenta,” Romano said.
“Pogba has not played a single official game for Juventus since he signed from Manchester United in July.
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“This means there will be no Pogba and no N’Golo Kante now for France at this World Cup. It’s a big deal for Les Bleus as they are two fantastic players when fit. It’s a huge blow to Didier Deschamps’ plans, but at the same time they have an amazing squad and I still rank them among the favorites for the tournament.
“Also in midfield, they have possibly two of the best young players in the world: Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. We’ll see what kind of team Deschamps picks, but I think these two can step up and have a major tournament.”
