Pogba faces ankle surgery and another month out

PAUL POGBA needs surgery after aggravating the ankle injury that kept him sidelined for three months. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed last night that his midfielder faces around a month out with the latest injury, which is linked to the foot problem that has dogged him this season. Solskjaer said: ‘He’s injured now. Three or four weeks maybe, I don’t know. He will probably need an operation on his foot. Let’s see how long it takes for him to get back. ‘He had scans, it’s nothing major but something that needs to be dealt with in a timeframe. We’ve

had consultants looking at him and the club (have looked at him, too). ‘We have been without him all season. The boys who have been playing have been fantastic but it’s a blow that Paul’s out.’ On the defeat by Arsenal, the Norwegian added: ‘Sometimes football is decided on little things, but from 10 to 45 minutes they were better than us. ‘We are fit and getting better. The boys have really worked hard over the past few months.

‘We’ve had ups and downs and I can’t fault them because the energy and drive have been there. Maybe today it caught up with us.’ Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is set to stay at the club following heart-to-heart talks with manager Mikel Arteta, who secured his first win as Gunners boss last night. Xhaka was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy after an angry confrontation with home fans during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on October 27. He had told the club he wanted to leave for Hertha Berlin, but Arteta revealed last night the Switzerland midfielder has had a change of heart. ‘I think he is going to stay and he can be a tremendous player for this club,’ said the Spaniard. ‘I’ve spoken to him and he has given me that assurance.’ On his landmark win, Arteta said: ‘The feeling is incredible. I am so happy and proud of the players. Physically we were ready to drop (in the second half). We are not ready to maintain that level at the moment. ‘But right from the start, I could feel a different atmosphere. Thank you so much to the fans because we need them. Hopefully we gave them something to be happy about today.’