France coach, Didier Deschamps warns Paul Pogba that he won’t automatically be selected for the World Cup

France coach, Didier Deschamps has warned Paul Pogba that he must be fully fit and in top form to make the French World Cup squad.  

Pogba has been ruled out for almost two months after undergoing surgery on his right knee last week.

The surgeon who performed Pogba’s operation reportedly revealed that he and the Juventus doctors had agreed a ‘necessary’ recovery time of eight weeks before the Frenchman can return to first-team training.

Speaking ahead of Nations League games against Austria and Denmark after naming his squad, Deschamps confirmed that Pogba will only make his final squad for the World Cup if the midfielder is fit and firing.

Deschamps said: ‘He will not come just because he is a ‘framework’. 

‘If he has not played before and is not in top form, it is useless. He himself does not want it.’

Deschamps was also questioned on the bizarre allegations made by Pogba’s brother, Mathias, accusing the Juventus midfielder of using a witch doctor to cast a spell on PSG and France superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The French boss said: ‘Everyone is free to believe in what they want. I’m not here to judge, it can make some people feel better.’

Pogba has also insisted that he was holding up well despite the recent allegations made against him.

The World Cup winner said last week: ‘The operation went very well, I’m going to recover and come back very, very quickly. I wanted to thank you all for your messages, for your support.

‘Know that mentally I’m okay despite all the worries, the injury, and the other problems. Mentally I’m okay.’