Manchester United beat Swiss side FC Basel in UEFA Champions League group play at home tonight, and they did so quite comfortably. Unfortunately, the triumph is greatly overshadowed by the tremendous cost that comes with this victory. Paul Pogba, obviously one of the team’s most valuable and important players, left early due to injury.
He was seen hobbling off the pitch with what has been confirmed as a hamstring problem. Later, he left Old Trafford on crutches.
More will be known about the extent of this injury, and a possible time table for Pogba’s return once a scan is done tomorrow.
For now, United Manager Jose Mourinho was only able to offer this insight in his post match interviews- “From experience, looking and feeling it, I think it’s a hamstring,” Mourinho said. “Big? Small? I don’t know, but hamstring for sure.”
United next host Everton on Sunday in Premier League play, a match that is overflowing with storylines (Wayne Rooney, Romelu Lukaku related). It is doubtful that Paul Pogba will be ready to go by then.
On a side note, this was the first time that Pogba was handed the captain’s arm band while playing in a United shirt. United’s three goals came from Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini and Marcus Rashford.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.