Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick says he spoke to Paul Pogba this week but expects the France midfielder to be a further four weeks away from a return to action.
The 63-year-old said he held a phone conversation on Tuesday with Pogba, who is undergoing warm-weather recovery work in Dubai following a thigh injury suffered on international duty last month.
Rangnick said: “He is better to come back today, and then we will get to know each other in person on Sunday.
💬 "The basis of what we showed v Crystal Palace was good, now it's about taking the next steps," says Ralf.
"Now we have Norwich. It will be a challenge but we want to improve our performance and hopefully get the next win." ✊#MUFC | #NORMUN— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 10, 2021
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“We had a telephone call for about 10 or 15 minutes.
“He told me he is getting better but obviously he is still not fully fit, so it will take another couple of weeks until he is fit for training again and then of course he has been idle for quite some time, so I guess it will take another couple of weeks to get match-fit.
“In the first instance it’s important he gets fully fit in order to be able to train with the rest of the group and then we have to develop him physically and tactically to be fit to play in the Premier League.”
Pogba’s United future seems to be an almost constant source of speculation, and his current deal with the club expires next summer.
Rangnick revealed he had two or three selection “question marks” ahead of a Friday afternoon training session, with United heading to Norwich for a Premier League match on Saturday evening.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is one of them after the full-back sustained wrist and knee problems in the Champions League draw against Young Boys on Wednesday.
Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic is suffering from a cold and is also a doubt.
Rangnick said the player had tested negative for Covid-19 and added: “I am still hoping that he can be available but we have to wait and see how he is.”
The German said after the Young Boys match that he hoped to have Edinson Cavani (tendon) and Raphael Varane (hamstring) available next week, after they returned to training this week.
