ROME, Italy, ( AFP) – Paul Pogba’s injury-blighted season is ending as it started with the French midfielder out for two to three weeks after tests Monday revealed a thigh injury.

His club, Juventus, said the 2018 World Cup winner re-injured his left thigh on Sunday against Cremonese, his first competitive start of the season.

After taking a shot, Pogba immediately pulled up and left the field after 23 minutes hiding hs face under his shirt.

Examinations on Monday morning at the club’s medical centre “revealed an injury” to the “right femoral muscle of the left thigh,” said Juve on their website.

This type of injury usually requires a recovery time of about “15/20 days”, a club source told AFP.

The Turin club’s last Serie A match of the season is away to Udinese on June 4, in 20 days time.

The Juventus timeline suggests Pogba could be fit for France’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Gibraltar on June 16 and then Greece on June 19.

Pogba missed a huge chunk of the season following his return from Manchester United last summer after suffering an injury to his right knee pre-season.

He initially elected to not to go under the knife in a bid to make the World Cup in Qatar.

However, despite later changing his mind, Pogba did not recover in time to play for France who lost their crown as world champions in a thrilling final with Argentina.

He returned to club action at the end of February but after two brief appearances off the bench was sidelined with an injury to the right thigh.

He had made brief appearances off the bench in several matches in April before starting on Sunday.