Deschamps hopeful Pogba will make World Cup amid reports of training return

Didier Deschamps is optimistic Paul Pogba will be fit to feature at the World Cup next month, amid reports the midfielder is set to return to training with Juventus.

Pogba has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Bianconeri since returning from Manchester United in July, and is a doubt for the tournament in Qatar after undergoing surgery to solve a lesion to the lateral meniscus in his right knee.

The 2018 World Cup winner initially opted to treat the injury with conservative therapy, which his doctor Roberto Rossi subsequently said had worsened his condition.

On Tuesday, with little over a month to go before France’s Group D opener against Australia, Italian media reports suggested Pogba’s return to Juventus training was imminent.

Speaking after attending Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Deschamps told Sport Mediaset he was upbeat concerning the midfielder’s progress, saying: “His programme is going well.

“The important thing is that he is cured, I think he will be, and this is already a good thing.

Thank you guys for all the messages and support!
I’ll be back soon – and stronger than ever! pic.twitter.com/nGgqqz8s6C

— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) September 6, 2022

“Then there will be the question whether he looks athletic, since he hasn’t played for a long time.

“But I repeat, before thinking about whether I call him up, he must be healed.”

Pogba has won 91 caps and hit 11 goals for France since making his international debut in 2013, and scored Les Bleus’ third goal in their 4-2 win over Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final.

Meanwhile, Deschamps saw another of his France stars crowned the best player in the world on Monday, as Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or for the first time in his career.

Asked about Benzema’s triumph, Deschamps added: “He deserves it. It is an important thing for all of French football, that of the national team and the clubs.”