France add Marcus Thuram to World Cup squad
France add Marcus Thuram to World Cup squad as Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps finally completes his allocation after originally only naming 25 players for the tournament – with Axel Disasi also called up after Presnel Kimpembe pulls out through injury
- France have added forward Marcus Thuram to their squad for the World Cup
- Manager Didier Deschamps had originally only named 25 of 26 possible players
- Presnel Kimpembe has pulled out through injury, with Axel Disasi replacing him
Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram has been added to France’s World Cup squad.
Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps had only named 25 players out of a possible 26 in his squad for the tournament in Qatar, but has now reached his full allocation with the addition of Thuram.
It’s unclear why the 54-year-old didn’t originally select his full allocation of players, but he will now have a full squad to choose from when the tournament gets underway later this week.
Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram has been added to France’s World Cup squad
France boss Didier Deschamps had previously only named 25 of 26 player in his squad
France’s Twitter account confirmed the news on Monday morning before deleting the post just minutes later.
The news was shared again however, with Thuram’s inclusion being confirmed on the official website.
Deschamps had received criticism for failing to name 26 players in his squad, but the decision was within the rules with a minimum of 23 players and maximum of 26 allowed.
Thuram has scored 41 goals in 119 appearances for Monchengladbach since joining in 2019
Thuram, born in Italy, has made 119 appearances for Monchengladbach since joining the club in 2019, scoring 41 goals.
He has a handful of caps for the France senior team, making his debut in 2020.
He joins the likes of Karim Benzema, Oliver Giroud and Kylian Mbappe on France’s forward list for the tournament.
Defender Presnel Kimpembe, meanwhile, has pulled out of the squad through injury, with Monaco defender Axel Disasi called up in his place.
PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe has however pulled out of the squad with an injury
Monaco’s Axel Disasi has replaced Kimpembe in France’s now-26-man squad for Qatar
On his squad, Deschamps said: ‘I made a few players unhappy tonight and 25 are super happy, but I know that as soon as we meet up they will all want to be in the starting 11.
‘I don’t care about bad statistics. We’re not in the best position but we know what we are capable of. However, let’s first go through the first round before setting any goals.’
France will be in Group D in Qatar with Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.
They start their campaign against Australia on November 22 at the Al Janoub Stadium.
FRANCE WORLD CUP SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Varane
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Matteo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jordan Veretout
Forwards: Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Christopher Nkunku, Marcus Thuram
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