Injured Pogba replaced in France squad

Paul Pogba has sustained a thigh injury and will miss France’s final two World Cup qualifiers. 

The Manchester United midfielder sustained the injury during a shooting drill on Monday, pulling up after dragging an effort wide. 

Pogba shouted out in pain as he connected with the ball and subsequently limped off the pitch at France’s Clairefontaine base. 

It was subsequently confirmed by the French Football Federation (FFF) that he would be unable to play against Kazakhstan on Saturday or Finland three days later. 

Jordan Veretout was named as his replacement, with Pogba leaving his international team-mates on Tuesday. 

While losing Pogba may not be a massive concern for coach Didier Deschamps given the impressive array of options at his disposal and the fact France will seal top spot in Group D with one win, the injury comes at a bad time for the player. 

Pogba started the season well with United but has since hit an erratic patch of form, meaning a spell on the sidelines will rob him of the chance to get back into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting XI.