Account
Report: Paul Pogba Could Be in Doubt for Manchester Derby with 'Little Injury'
November 9, 2018
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba reportedly missed training on Friday ahead of Sunday's showdown with Manchester City.
According to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, Pogba picked up a "little injury" in the Red Devils' 2-1 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday and trained on his own on Friday.
"United would not divulge the nature of the injury," added Paul Hirst of the Times.
Despite the reported scare, United manager Jose Mourinho told MUTV that he's not concerned about having any fresh absentees for the clash with City at the Etihad Stadium.
"No new injuries," he said (h/t Hirst). "From Juventus we don't bring important injuries. We have 'touches' but I don't think that any player that was available for Juventus will be out [of the derby]."
The 25-year-old was part of the team that sprung a shock against the Italian champions in midweek. Having fallen behind to a stunning Cristiano Ronaldo goal, United rallied late on and eventually snatched victory thanks to a Juan Mata free-kick and an own goal from Alex Sandro.
Not only was the match a memorable one for the travelling United fans, it was a big event for Pogba as a former Juventus player too:
While there don't appear to be huge fears about the Frenchman's fitness, it would be a blow to the Red Devils if he didn't come into this one fully fit.
Even though there were times in midweek when he was poor in midfield, the Frenchman has the ability to turn a match on its head with his ability. In the away fixture against United's neighbours in April last season, he did exactly that.
City led 2-0 at half time and were on course to seal their Premier League title victory against the Red Devils before Pogba returned to the field inspired for the second period. He netted twice to get United back on terms before Chris Smalling struck a third to give the Red Devils a comeback win.
United go into Sunday's game in good form, but they are still nine points behind their rivals. Table-toppers City have been sensational leading up to the game, scoring 12 goals in their last two home matches in all competitions.