Paul Pogba has played in just eight games in all competitions this season after his campaign has been blighted by repeated injuries. Manchester United have struggled at times in his absence, although the return from injury for Scott McTominay and signing of Bruno Fernandes meant we were able to improve our midfield and performances dramatically in the weeks leading up to the season being suspended.

Talking to the club’s official podcast, Pogba has explained why he has missed so many games and given an update on his current injury status.

I’m already training and touching the ball. I’ve been frustrated, a long time ago. Now I’m almost there, so I’m just thinking about getting back and training fully with the team and everything. You think bad but I’ve never had something like this in my career, so I always take it in a good way. It makes me more hungry to come back and do well. And, yeah, it just shows me as well how much I love football.

You have to be very patient because, well my injury, I don’t know if people really know what happened. So I had a foot injury, which came in the game against Southampton. It was early this season and so I carried this for a long time, training and trying to be playing with it. After I stopped, I found I had a fracture.

I had a cast on it, a plaster-cast, so it went very well but too well. The bone got bigger and so, when I came back again, I played those two games against Watford and Newcastle, I could feel something again. So I had to have an operation and now here I am. I don’t feel anything and, hopefully, I’ll be back very soon.

Pogba was asked if he missed the matchday routine, with his last appearance happening on Boxing Day.

To be honest, yeah. I don’t even know how it feels like any more. I can’t wait to have this feeling again. I miss it because that’s my job, to play football. I really enjoy playing football.