France manager Didier Deschamps has announced his national team squad for next month’s UEFA Nations League final tournament in Italy.
The world champions will face Belgium in the semi-finals next Thursday and Italy will take on Spain in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
Deschamps has named a strong squad for the upcoming international fixtures but the omission of Olivier Giroud and Eduardo Camavinga has certainly raised eyebrows, according to France24. N’Golo Kante is also sidelined, after testing Covid positive.
Giroud is undoubtedly one of the best strikers at his disposal but Deschamps has decided to give him some time off to recuperate from his injury layoff.
The striker tested positive for Coronavirus earlier this month and he would not have been able to train with his national teammates because of a 10-day isolation.
“There’s a 10-day isolation period so he would not have been able to train and he was also just out of an injury layoff. It’s best for him that he uses that period to recover his physical freshness,” Deschamps told a news conference.
In hindsight, the decision could look like a smart move and the 35-year-old striker can use this time to get back to his peak fitness levels.
However, the absence of the Real Madrid midfielder Camavinga is certainly surprising given the fact that the youngster has made quite a start to his life at the Spanish club.
The 18-year-old is rated as one of the most exciting young players across Europe.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s defensive due Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard, along with Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi have been called up to the national team squad.
France Squad for UEFA Nations League
Goalkeepers
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Benoit Costil (Girondins de Bordeaux)
Defenders
Lucas Digne (Everton), Leo Dubois (Olympique Lyonnais), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain), Jules Kounde (Sevilla), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
Midfielders
Matteo Guendouzi (Olympique de Marseille), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Monaco), Jordan Veretout (Roma)
Forwards
Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain)
