Manchester United’s Paul Pogba to undergo foot surgery and Scott McTominay out ‘for months’

United could be forced into the transfer market to fortify a midfield in desperate need of quality and quantity following the double setback

(PA)

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed Paul Pogba will undergo surgery on his foot, sidelining him for a further month.

The France international, who was not in the squad for the New Year’s Day defeat to Arsenal after sitting out the win at Burnley because he ‘did not feel right’ to play so soon after completing the second half against Newcastle United, was advised to have an operation as soon as possible.

United insist the club did the scans on the midfielder, confirmed the diagnosis and that his specialist agreed with their findings.

“We've had scans and it's nothing major, it's something that has to be sorted and dealt with within a timeframe,” Solskjaer explained during his post-match press conference.

“He’s been advised to do it as soon as and he'll probably do it as soon as, so he'll be out for three or four weeks probably. We've had consultants looking at him as well and club has been looking at it, the scans have been done by us.

"We look after our players' health and are not going to take any risk with any players that don't feel able to play on. We've been without him all season, so the boys who've been playing have been fantastic and it is a big blow Paul's out now.”

The absence of Pogba is compounded by United already being without the services of Scott McTominay due to knee ligament damage. The 23-year-old’s energy and industry was missed at Arsenal, with Solskjaer pointing to a longer spell on the sidelines than initially expected.

“Scott will be out for a few months. It's a big blow for us,” he said. “He’s been magnificent and we just hope that Paul can come back within a month or so. You always want competition for places at a place like this and you want players to rotate with. We've been suffering a little bit, especially in midfield and we've got to cope with it.

“The boys who are here have been fantastic, they've really put an effort in. Then they'll go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, it's a relentless period.”

When asked if his depleted midfield options will dictate what United do during the January window, Solskjaer admitted: "It is playing on our decision-making when you have two players out.

"But still it has got to be right, that's the big point. If the right player is available, we'll do something definitely. We are looking at one or two."