Ralf Rangnick believes Paul Pogba has played his last game for Manchester United after picking up an injury in the midweek defeat at Liverpool.
The French World Cup winner played less than 10 minutes before suffering up a calf injury which will take at least four weeks to clear.
He is out of contract in the summer, with United’s 4-0 defeat at Anfield now almost certain to be an ignominious end to a sad and unproductive second spell with the club.
Rangnick said: “Paul, with his scan, it is very unlikely he will play until the end of the season again.
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“The doctor told me it will take four weeks minimum for him to recover and the last game is the end of May. I don’t think it’s very likely he will play again.”
Few United fans will mourn the end of Pogba’s second spell, with the midfielder booed off during last week’s narrow 3-2 win over bottom club Norwich City.
He has flattered to deceive since signing from Juventus in 2016, with moments of brilliance all too rare amid a repeat failure to justify either his £90m pricetag or his astronomical wages.
But Rangnick at least will be able to recall Cristiano Ronaldo, Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane for the trip to Arsenal on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the United interim manager has welcomed the appointment of Erik ten Hag as his long-term replacement.
He said: “We don’t know each other in person, we haven’t met in person.
“But from what I’ve seen at Bayern Munich, when he was the under-23 coach and Ajax now, I like his football and I’m pretty positive, with a full pre-season having a chance to build and mould his own staff, a new team, which is obvious.
“With a new team, a full pre-season I am pretty sure we will see improvement.”
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Rangnick also offered his support to club captain Harry Maguire after he was the victim of a bomb threat at his home on Thursday.
Rangnick said: “I haven’t seen him because I only got to know about this terrible, terrible thing yesterday afternoon and I haven’t been able to speak with him.
“It’s another bad sign of the crazy world we’re living in, I feel sorry for Harry he had that terrible experience, he knows everyone is behind him, the club, his teammates.
“It’s sad enough that crazy things like that happen.”
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