Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Paul Pogba has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury that will keep him out of action for a further spell.
The France international midfielder was expected to be in the squad for Manchester United’s squad for their first game of 2020, against Arsenal on New Year's Day.
Solskjaer said he thought Pogba would make the squad when asked if he would be avalable for the game against the Gunners. His name was not on the team sheet and his manager was pressed on the issue ahead of kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.
“He’s injured,” the Norwegian told BT Sport. “He’s feeling some discomfort in his ankle and he’ll be out for a few weeks, definitely.”
Pogba has made only seven appearances for United this season, but had played two games from the bench over the festive period, including the entire second half in a 4-1 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.
He was not in the squad for the game against Burnley on December 28, an absence explained away as scheduled rest.
Now it seems as though he’ll miss another extended period of time having already missed 10 consecutive games before his recent attempt at a comeback.
Pogba has been persistently linked with a move away, and reportedly attempted to engineer an exit from Old Trafford in the summer, with a return to Juventus or move to Real Madrid linked as his preferred destinations.
Despite those rumours, his agent Mino Raiola has said Pogba is happy to remain at United, as long as they’re competing for trophies.
"He's a top pro and I think that his heart is in the right place with Manchester United," he said. "As long as Paul is in Manchester United, he wants to win trophies with Manchester United.”
However Raiola slammed United in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier on New Year’s Day.
Pogba’s abscence, along with an injury to Scott McTominay, presented an opportunity to Nemanja Matic, who made just his second start of the season.