Pogba sees Juventus return date set after recovering from injury that has delayed second debut

• Midfielder required knee surgery
• Missed World Cup as a result
• Could be back in under three weeks

WHAT HAPPENED? The World Cup-winning France international is yet to take in a second competitive debut for the Bianconeri on the back of his return to Turin as a free agent in the summer of 2022. A serious knee injury was picked up shortly after severing ties with Manchester United and heading back to Italy, with an untimely ailment requiring surgery that ruled Pogba out of the World Cup finals in Qatar. The 29-year-old is now back in training, though, and closing in on a return to action.

WHAT THEY SAID: Allegri told reporters when asked for an update on Pogba’s fitness: “Paul is running and he doesn't feel pain in his knee. If he proceeds like this, maybe within 15/20 days he can be with the team. But we'll see later when he can return, step by step.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: If Pogba is available again in a little under three weeks, then he could come into contention for an outing against Monza on January 29. Juve will be eager to see him lining up alongside fellow countryman Adrien Rabiot in the not-too-distant future, with Allegri adding on contract extension talks with another French midfielder: “It's useless to talk about the transfer market right now, we have to think about the pitch. Rabiot has desire and enthusiasm. We're all focused on that.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Juve - who sit third in the Serie A table at present, 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli – will be back in action on Wednesday when taking in a trip to Cremonese.