Pogba avoids knee surgery, set to miss five weeks

ROME, Italy —Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is expected to be sidelined for five weeks but will not undergo knee surgery that could have ruled him out of the World Cup, his club said on Tuesday.

The France international, who returned to Juventus this summer after six years at Manchester United, will receive “conservative therapy for five weeks”, a club spokesperson told AFP. Pogba, 29, injured the meniscus in his right knee during a training session with Juventus last month in the United States on the club’s pre-season tour.

He sought the advice of several specialists on a course of treatment and to determine whether surgery was required. Pogba will miss the start of the Serie A season, which is due to begin on August 13, but could return in mid-September.