Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow with ace midfielder Paul Pogba, whose injury may keep him out for a few weeks. The United star injured himself during a Champions League clash against FC Basel on Wednesday at Old Trafford and was seen going out of the stadium on crutches.
The club’s most expensive signing is now facing a spell of around 4-6 weeks on the sidelines after he pulled up with a hamstring injury. Pogba lasted just 19 minutes on the pitch during their encounter against Basel after he began to clutch the back of his thigh to limp off the field with loud resoundings of groans and sighs at Old Trafford.
Pogba has been one of the most influential players in Mourinho’s squad since his arrival last season and the Frenchman has put in really good performances this season to help United to the top of the table in the Premier League.
What worried the spectators more was that Pogba’s injury came without any challenge which could have caused a possible unwanted teak or stretch in the muscle. He was replaced by Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini who then scored to help the Red Devils win by a 3-0 margin and get the three points for his side.
Pogba’s injury will now cause him to miss a minimum of 7-8 important fixtures for club and country. With the games coming thick and fast in the next few weeks, United will be worried about their prized asset who is now unable to take part in any of the following matches.
The injury will allow him to miss the important games for France in their World Cup Qualifying campaign which takes place in early October. Pogba will also be ruled out of Premier League games against Everton, Southampton and Crystal Palace, which could affect their position at the top of the league. United also have the league Cup third round-tie against Burton and a Champions League trip to Russia to face CSKA Moscow where they will be without their main midfielder.
Pogba also faces a race against time to be fit for the crunch game against Merseyside club Liverpool on October 14th. United do have a few other midfielders at their disposal with Nemanja Matic and Fellaini but Mourinho will know that none of them can come close to being as creative as Pogba in central midfield.
Pogba’s injury will now mean that Ander Herrera will receive a more free role to attack and defend at will, just like his injured team-mate.
Heart-break For The Fans-
Football is a really cruel game at times. At one time, you are on top of the world, winning games, scoring goals, claiming assists. Then one match, which was just a group game in the Champions League. An easy win and a key player picks up an injury and gets sidelined for a few weeks.
Such is the nature of the sport and there is no solution to this problem. It happens to the best of players (which is rather evident in this case) and hopefully Mourinho’s team can keep the momentum going, in the absence of the French international.
