With the World Cup looming in just a few weeks, France got some extremely mixed news on Tuesday regarding the status of two star midfielders.
On one hand, there’s the negative: Chelsea confirmed reports that N’Golo Kante will not be fit in time for the tournament, as the indefatigable midfielder underwent surgery for a hamstring issue.
“N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury,” read a club statement from Chelsea. “The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage. Following a successful operation, N’Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months.”
That timetable definitively rules Kante out of Qatar 2023, with a mid-February return for Chelsea more likely.
It’s not all bad for fans of Les Bleus, though. Paul Pogba joined Juventus’ training session for the first time since undergoing surgery on his meniscus in September.
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It’s a rapid turnaround after Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri had previously said the club didn’t expect Pogba to be ready to play until January. Pogba had initially chosen a non-surgical regimen to keep the World Cup door open, but lasted through just two training sessions before it became clear his knee wasn’t quite right.
There is an open question about exactly how soon Pogba will be able to play in a Juventus match, but simply being in training at this point already puts the 29-year-old well ahead of the game. Pogba likely has three weeks or so to prove himself fit enough for Didier Deschamps to call on him as part of France’s 26-man squad.
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