Paul Pogba has ankle cast removed as Man Utd midfielder edges closer to return

Manchester United have been handed a big boost after midfielder Paul Pogba had his ankle cast removed on Monday.

The World Cup winner has been sidelined since the end of September after aggravating a long-standing ankle issue in Utd’s 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in the Premier League .

During the international break in October, the former Juventus man headed to Dubai for some warm weather training in a bid to get over the niggle, but was unable to do so.

The France international subsequently had a cast fitted around his ankle in order to aid his recovery and the 26-year-old passed a huge landmark in his rehabilitation on Monday.

Pogba travelled to Amsterdam to have the cast removed and recorded the procedure, with the clip later uploaded to his Instagram account.

The Frenchman could be seen smiling as the cast was taken off using a drill, no doubt knowing a frustrating period in his career will soon be over.

However, the 26-year-old is still a few weeks away from making a playing return with Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer himself admitting earlier this month that Pogba will likely not be back until early December.

It means the ex-Juve man will spend the next few weeks building his fitness up, with the Manchester derby against fierce rivals City on December 7 a possible date for his return.

In Pogba’s absence, Scott McTominay and Fred have begun building a good partnership in the heart of the pitch for the Red Devils and the Frenchman may have a battle on his hand to regain his starting spot.

Brazil international Fred has been a revelation for Utd in recent weeks and Solskjaer was full of praise for the midfielder following a win over Brighton at the weekend.

“He set us off today with his midfield play, we won the ball, had to get after them,” said the Norwegian.