Kante surprisingly recalled to the French national team for EURO after 2 years absent.Coach Didier Deschamps has announced the squad for the French national team participating in EURO 2024. The list comprises 25 players and barring any unforeseen changes before the tournament, this will be the final squad for "Les Bleus".
[caption id="attachment_5301" align="alignnone" width="600"] Kante returns to the French national team after a 2-year absence.[/caption]
The return of N'Golo Kante after a 2-year absence is notable and also the most surprising inclusion in the call-up list. The 33-year-old defensive midfielder last played for the French national team in the summer of 2022 before leaving the attention of European public opinion last year when he moved to play for Al Ittihad in the Saudi Arabian league.
Kante's comeback is unexpected for the public, but for Coach Deschamps, it seems he also didn't entirely intend to call up Kante if there were other options. Despite calling up players like Edouard Camavinga, Aurelian Tchouameni, Youssouf Fofana, and Adrien Rabiot, all of whom haven't demonstrated the outstanding defensive abilities Kante has shown in the past. Deschamps' most trusted midfielder, Boubacar Kamara of Aston Villa, is sidelined with a serious injury and hasn't recovered yet.
Alongside Kante, Deschamps has called up Ferland Mendy to the national team even though Mendy has had few opportunities to perform for the French team under him. The injury to Lucas Hernandez at PSG seems to have left Deschamps with no other choice.
[caption id="attachment_5302" align="alignnone" width="481"] The squad call-up list of the French national team for EURO 2024[/caption]
Another surprise is the presence of Kingsley Coman in the squad. Despite Coman's injury at Bayern Munich, the French national team's doctors have been in Munich in recent days to directly assess the forward's condition. Deschamps still values Coman's technical ability as he can dribble past opponents well even without high speed.
EURO 2024 will mark the first call-up for Bradley Barcola, a young left winger who PSG has selected to replace the position left by Kylian Mbappe at the club and has shown very promising performances. Barcola will compete for winger positions alongside Coman, Mbappe, and Ousmane Dembele, while Olivier Giroud, Marcus Thuram, and Randal Kolo Muani vie for a center-forward spot.
Although Malo Gusto had an impressive debut season at Chelsea, Deschamps chose Jonathan Clauss of Marseille for the right-back position, with Clauss serving as backup for Theo Hernandez. Deschamps brings in 5 center-backs including Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, and Benjamin Pavard, with Kounde and Pavard capable of playing as full-backs.
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens).
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Antoine Griezman (Atlético de Madrid), N’Golo Kanté (Al-Nassr), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).
Forwards: Bradley Barcola (PSG), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).
Apart from Gusto, his Chelsea teammates Axel Disasi and Christopher Nkunku were also not called up, along with Michael Olise of Crystal Palace. Disasi has had inconsistent form, while Nkunku and Olise have both recently recovered from long-term injuries.
Deschamps will finalize the squad on June 7th. The French team has two friendly matches against Luxembourg and Canada on June 6th and 10th (Vietnam time), respectively, before opening EURO against Austria coached by Ralf Rangnick (2 am, June 18th). France's group stage is not easy as it also includes the Netherlands and Poland.
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