Reports: Injured Manchester United superstar set to return against Chelsea

What's the story?

Manchester United have been bereft of the services of a number of key players this season. After losing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to a knee injury late last season, the Red Devils subsequently lost Paul Pogba to a hamstring injury earlier this season.

The flamboyant Frenchman was named the captain of the side against Basel in the UEFA Champions League on the 12th of September, but was forced to limp off well within the first half. However, latest reports from the Daily Star suggest that Pogba could finally make a return against Chelsea on the 5th of November.

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Pogba was initially set to be sidelined for a period of about 6-8 weeks, with manager Jose Mourinho repeatedly refusing to commit to a return date. Several rumours from across Europe had claimed that Pogba would only return in December.

The Frenchman was then sent away on holiday, to recuperate, by manager Jose Mourinho. Having spent the last few weeks in the United States of America, the 24-year old has finally returned to Manchester and is expected to complete his recovery at United's Carrington Complex.

Heart of the matter

Alongside new recruit Nemanja Matic, Pogba made a promising start to the season as one of United's most influential players. His ebullient presence was certainly a shot in the arm for Mourinho's men, who have invariably struggled to replicate Pogba's creativity, in his absence.

Touted to take the Premier League by storm, Pogba's injury has certainly plagued Manchester United, despite the manager's willingness to talk about it. The Red Devils have made an extremely positive start to the season, with 6 wins and just 1 loss from 9 games, but will pray for Pogba's quick return.

Pogba's Manchester United teammate, Jesse Lingard, sent the Manchester United fans into quite the frenzy after he posted a video on social media, which showed Paul Pogba joyfully mimick Lingard upon his return to Manchester.

What's next?

Manchester United currently sit 2nd on the table, ahead of 3rd-placed Tottenham only by virtue of a slightly better goal difference. With a number of challenging fixtures coming up, Mourinho and his men will require all the firepower they can get.

Pogba's ahead-of-schedule return will invariably lift the spirits of the Old Trafford outfit and their faithful fans. With back-to-back Premier League fixtures against Spurs and Chelsea, Pogba's return could not have been more timely.

Author's Take

The former most-expensive-player-in-the-world picked up the tag for a reason. He's undoubtedly one of the most promising players in world football at the moment. While he hasn't had much of an effect on this season so far, a return now will leave him with nearly 3/4th of the season left.

Manchester United and their fans will hope that he hits the ground running, as they will most certainly be in need of his services when they take on the defending champions, Chelsea, in their own backyard, just over a week from now.