'Slowly but surely' – Man Utd star Pogba posts workout video as he steps up return from ankle injury
The French midfielder has been out of action since December and has made just seven Premier League appearances in the 2019-20 campaign
Paul Pogba has released a video on his Instagram account showing him performing various exercise routines as the Manchester United midfielder works his way back to fitness.
The World Cup winner has been absent since December 26, when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 4-1 United win over Newcastle at Old Trafford.
But having already missed almost three months of the season between October and December, Pogba saw his progress further hampered when the decision was made to undergo surgery on his troublesome ankle injury.
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Indeed, the former Juventus star has played just seven Premier League games for the Red Devils in the 2019-20 season, with his last start coming back on September 30 – a 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford.
United have suffered without Pogba’s influence in midfield, with an injury to Scott McTominay having also left them short in that area prior to Bruno Fernandes’s arrival at the end of the January transfer window.
Transfer speculation has been persistent during the Frenchman’s time on the sidelines, with the 26-year-old having frequently been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
Real Madrid have been heavily mooted as Pogba’s potential next club, with head coach Zinedine Zidane a known admirer of the midfielder who is contract to the Red Devils until 2021.
Pogba’s long-term future at United has been uncertain ever since his declaration in the summer that the time may be right for him to seek a new challenge, with the club’s on-field struggles doing little to help matters.
But it would appear that he may well be able to return for the Red Devils before the end of the season, with a video posted on his Instagram page showing Pogba undertaking various movements and exercises at the NAS Sports Complex Staff Gym in Dubai.
United are travelling to Marbella on Saturday for a warm-weather training camp as they look to take advantage of the Premier League’s winter break.
Pogba will not be present with the squad, however, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealing that the Frenchman, along with Marcus Rashford and Odion Ighalo, will not be travelling to Spain.
A club statement confirmed that Ighalo, a deadline-day loan signing from Shanghai Shenhua, will stay in Manchester amid fears that he wouldn’t be allowed back into the UK due to travel restrictions relating to the coronavirus outbreak.
There was more positive news regarding McTominay’s fitness, however, with Solskjaer having revealed that the Scot is ahead of schedule with his recovery and that he will join the squad in Marbella.
United are back in Premier League action on February 17 when they face a potentially decisive fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they look to close the gap in the race to finish in the top four.