Paul Pogba's meniscus injury was "worsened" by the Juventus midfielder's decision to undergo conservative therapy rather than surgery, says his doctor Roberto Rossi.
The France star initially decided against an operation to solve a lesion to the lateral meniscus in his right knee, and favoured an alternative course of treatment.
Inconsistent results during training last week, however, forced him to undergo surgery on Monday, with a predicted eight-week recovery period casting doubt on his chances of making France's Qatar 2022 World Cup squad.
His decision to initially delay an operation has left Juventus frustrated, and now Rossi has outlined further how Pogba's original choice has waylaid him even more.
"The lesion to the lateral meniscus was tricky because the tissue was fragmented and the injury had worsened and when the player tried to force it by running into the field," he told Tuttosport.
"The conservative therapy did not work. On the contrary, the injury worsened. When we intervened, there were no conditions to complete a broken meniscus suture. It was only possible to intervene with [surgery]."
Pogba returned to Juventus for a stint, having originally left them in 2016 to return to Manchester United.
His arrival back in Turin on a free transfer has proven difficult so far thanks to his injury, and Didier Deschamps will face a decision whether to include the World Cup winner for his squad ahead of their title defence in Qatar.
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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