Captain Kylian Mbappe has made his return to the France national team, which was announced on Thursday ahead of this month’s UEFA Nations League quarter-final clash against Croatia. Among the new additions is Paris Saint-Germain’s young talent, Desire Doue, who has received his first call-up.
The 26-year-old Mbappe was excluded from the previous two squads by coach Didier Deschamps during the group stages of the Nations League in October and November.
Initially left out due to fitness issues, Mbappe later missed out following speculation surrounding his personal life.
Deschamps explained at that time that he believed it was “for the best” to omit Mbappe due to the surrounding media attention on the striker.
Since then, Mbappe has been in exceptional form for Real Madrid, netting 28 goals in all competitions this season after joining the club last year.
“I’ve spoken with him and I can confirm what I stated a few weeks back, that he will be the captain,” Deschamps said when asked about Mbappe’s ongoing captaincy.
On the other hand, Doue’s inclusion follows a series of impressive performances at club level.
The 19-year-old has been directly involved in 17 goals across 23 matches since earning a regular spot in the PSG line-up mid-December.
Showing versatility as both a winger and midfielder, Doue was particularly impressive when he came off the bench for PSG in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Liverpool, scoring the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.
Joining PSG from Rennes for a reported fee of 50 million euros (£42m) in August, Doue was part of Thierry Henry’s France Under-23 team that secured a silver medal at last year’s Paris Olympics.
“Although he is not always a starter, whenever he plays or comes on, he has shown significant progress,” Deschamps noted.
“He’s a young prospect, but one that we find intriguing. I could have delayed bringing him in, but now feels like the right moment.”
France will travel to Split to face Croatia in the first leg of the quarter-final next Thursday, March 20, in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final, which Les Bleus won.
The return leg is scheduled for Sunday, March 23, at Stade de France.
The victorious team will move on to the final four, set to be held in either Italy or Germany in June.
N’Golo Kante is a notable absentee, with Deschamps revealing the Saudi Arabia-based midfielder is dealing with a minor muscle injury.
France Squad
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan/ITA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan/ITA), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio/ITA), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (Marseille), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue (all Paris Saint-Germain), Randal Kolo Muani (Juventus/ITA, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA)
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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