Ralf Rangnick has revealed his concern that Paul Pogba will not be fit for Manchester United’s forthcoming games against Arsenal and Chelsea FC.
The French midfielder had to be substituted in the first half of the Red Devils’ 4-0 loss to Liverpool FC at Anfield on Tuesday night after having picked up a calf injury early on.
Pogba was replaced by Jesse Lingard after just 10 minutes at Anfield and it is unclear exactly how long the midfielder will be out of action for at this stage.
Manchester United are facing tricky games away to Arsenal and at home to Chelsea FC in the coming days and Rangnick has revealed that he fears Pogba will not be available for both fixtures.
Asked about Pogba’s injury at his post-match news conference on Tuesday night, Rangnick said: “He pulled his calf muscle.
“As it seems right now, this will not be an injury like the one Fred has, which will be gone in one week. I fear that Paul will not be available for [the] Arsenal or Chelsea [games].”
Pogba, like most of his Manchester United team-mates, has struggled to produce consistent form for the Red Devils this season.
The midfielder has scored one goal and made nine assists in 20 Premier League games for the Red Devils this season.
Manchester United were thoroughly out-played by Liverpool FC on Tuesday night and the result leaves them with an uphill battle to secure Champions League qualification via a top-four finish, with Saturday’s showdown at Arsenal a key encounter in the run-in.
Asked to assess his side’s performance after the demoralising defeat on Merseyside, Rangnick said: “They are one of the best teams in the world and we are just not physical or athletic enough.
“Against teams like this, if you want to cause them problems, you have to have a few counter-attacking moments yourself but we couldn’t and that’s why we lost 4-0.
“I’m pretty sure any of the players in the starting 11 knew about the importance of the game – not only with regard to the league table but also with regard to our fans and supporters.
“To be able to get something out of a game like this you have to be on them. You have to attack them and cause them problems. In the first half we didn’t do that at all, in the second we did for 25 minutes.”