French footballer Paul Pogba has reportedly opted for therapy over surgery after meeting with a specialist to discuss his knee injury, and may even be back playing in just five weeks.
Having left Manchester United to return to Turin, Pogba was hoping for a fresh start, only to suffer a knee injury in the early weeks of his second spell with Juventus, according to DPA.
The France midfielder complained of his injury while with Juve on their pre-season tour of the United States, and initial checks led the Italian club to announce he had suffered a lesion of the lateral meniscus.
There were fears the 29-year-old could miss the rest of the calendar year if he opted for surgery.
However, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Pogba consulted with world-renowned knee surgeon Professor Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet in Lyon and it was agreed he would undergo therapy over surgery, meaning he should be back in action in approximately five weeks.
Pogba was a key part of the France team that lifted the World Cup in 2018, and this news will be a boost to his chances of being fully fit to help defend the trophy in Qatar later this year.
Pogba spent four years at Juve between 2012 and 2016, winning four Serie A titles in that period before moving to United for a then world record fee of 105 million euros (USD107 million).
The World Cup begins on November 21 in Qatar, and France boss Didier Deschamps would want 91-cap Pogba to have proven his fitness well in advance of the tournament getting under way.
(Inputs from IANS)