Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says Paul Pogba Advised to Have Surgery by 'His People'

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Paul Pogba may need an operation to address a setback on his ankle injury. 

Pogba missed United's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Wednesday after Solskjaer had suggested he would be set to feature following his absence against Burnley on Saturday.

When asked how long the Frenchman would be out for, the Norwegian told BT Sport (h/t MailOnline): "Three or four weeks maybe, I don't know. He's been advised to have an operation by his people, and he'll probably do that."

Solskjaer's comments have raised plenty of eyebrows, particularly after the midfielder's agent, Mino Raiola, took a public swipe at the club ahead of the Arsenal game:

However, the manager then said in his post-match press conference it was the club that had conducted the scans on Pogba and determined with the consultant that surgery was needed:

Ankle problems have affected the 26-year-old throughout the season, limiting him to just eight appearances in all competitions.

Pogba came off the bench in United's 2-0 defeat at Watford on December 22, which was his first appearance since September, and he played the second half of their 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day too.

If he's out for another month, he could miss up to seven more matches for the Red Devils, including a Premier League trip to Liverpool and both legs of their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.

Scott McTominay, who injured his knee against Newcastle, is set to miss all those matches and more, leaving United thin in midfield.

Football writer Chris Winterburn criticised United for their lack of depth:

Marouane Fellaini was sold to Chinese Super League outfit Shandong Luneng Taishan in January 2019, while Ander Herrera joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer, but United did not recruit a central midfielder to replace either of them.

Pogba's contract is up in 2021 too, so they will soon have to make a decision on his future if they want to recoup some of the £89 million they spent to bring him back from Juventus in 2016.