Berlin (DPA)
Didier Deschamps, coach of the French national football team, expressed his confidence once again that Paul Pogba will play a prominent role with the national team in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, despite his absence from the stadiums at the beginning of the new season due to injury.
Pogba suffered from a knee problem during the pre-season after returning to Juventus from Manchester United on a free transfer.
He was expected to undergo surgery, which might have squandered his chance to participate in the 2022 World Cup, but he chose treatment instead of surgery in the hope of a faster return to the playing field.
Pogba is expected to participate again alongside N’Golo Kante in the midfield of the French national team during the World Cup, which begins in November, knowing that Chelsea’s Kante has also suffered from injury problems in recent seasons.
“We are talking about two prominent players with great experience and leadership capabilities,” Deschamps said about the pair in statements to the newspaper “Le Parisien”.
He added, “It is important for them to be present, but nothing is guaranteed, and therefore we need to prepare the young players.” He continued: “I am of course in contact with Paul, his participation in the World Cup is not negotiable, today, and Antoine Griezmann is also an essential part of Deschamps’ plans, although he scored only three goals in La Liga last season.
“He’s not a robot with the head, of course, it’s controlling the legs,” Deschamps said. “Every player faces a period of decline, sooner or later, and that translates into a loss of confidence.”
He added, “Antoine had very busy seasons, and before his physical problems at the beginning of the year, a thigh injury, he was always far from injuries during his career.”
And he continued, “A few months ago, he moved from one club to another, and he may have been affected by external matters as well.”
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