Paul Pogba’s return to action at Manchester United has been delayed by illness, with the Frenchman suffering a fresh setback after shaking off an ankle injury.
The World Cup-winning midfielder has been out of action since September.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated on a regular basis over recent weeks that he expects to have the 26-year-old back at his disposal before the end of the calendar year.
The hope was that Pogba would be able to rejoin training sessions with the Red Devils ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Colchester on Wednesday.
Those plans have, however, been scuppered by an untimely bug which is keeping an enigmatic presence stuck on the sidelines.
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Solskjaer told reporters when offering his latest update on Pogba’s condition: "He's been struck down ill.
"He's been off two days, which is not beneficial. It's probably set him back quite a bit."
United are desperate to get Pogba back, having seen him make only six appearances this season, with Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Everton offering another indication of how big a miss he is.
Solskjaer added: “It's games like the Everton one, for example, when you are lacking that one creative pass or idea.
“He has the quality not many midfielders in the world have, so it would be great to get him back.”
While Pogba remains out of contention, United have seen a number of other players perform admirably of late.
Marcus Rashford had been enjoying a stunning purple patch in front of goal prior to a meeting with Everton, with Mason Greenwood stepping off the bench to snatch a point in that contest.
The 18-year-old now has seven efforts to his name this season, with Solskjaer admitting that it is becoming increasingly difficult to leave the youngster out.
He said of the frontman: “It's very difficult now to put a team out there without having Mason in my mind, yes.
“I remember when I came to the club and scored a few goals, I felt I could perform better.
“The manager used to say it was hard to keep players who score out of the team. It is the same with Mason.”
After taking on Colchester in midweek, United’s final Premier League outing before Christmas will see them travel to struggling Watford on Sunday.