Pogba set for specialist visit as World Cup hopes hinge on surgery

STATS Perform/dpaRome Paul Pogba hoped his move to Juventus would be a fresh start, but already the France midfielder is facing the possibility he could miss the World Cup.Leaving Manchester United and returning to Turin looked set to be a switch that would allow Pogba to set aside a difficult time in England, where he was plagued by injuries.However, a knee problem has hit Pogba in the early weeks of his second spell with Juventus, and reports on Thursday in Italy pointed to possible bleak news ahead for the player, who was a key figure as Les Bleus won the World Cup four years ago in Russia.Pogba complained of his injury while with Juventus in the United States, and initial checks led Juventus to announce he had suffered a lesion of the lateral meniscus.The injury to his right knee means Pogba is sure to face a spell on the sidelines, and now it remains to be seen how long that lasts.It depends on what course of action is taken, and Corriere dello Sport reported that Pogba would see a specialist on Thursday.The newspaper said there were two options that would be considered, with the first involving the removal of the damaged part of the meniscus and the second focusing on fully repairing the knee. Those are the standard options for repairing a torn meniscus.The initial path could see Pogba sidelined for around six weeks, reports said, but the secondary option could see him ruled out of action for the rest of the calendar year.Juventus have yet to give any indication of how long they expect to be without Pogba.Pogba, 29, spent four years at Juventus between 2012 and 2016, winning four Serie A titles in that period before moving to United for a then world record fee of $105 million.The World Cup begins on November 21 in Qatar, and France boss Didier Deschamps would want 91-cap Pogba to have proven his fitness well in advance of the tournament getting under way.