France manager Didier Deschamps has confirmed that he will not call up a replacement for Karim Benzema after he was ruled out of the 2022 World Cup with a thigh injury on Saturday.
The Real Madrid midfielder was called up to the France squad for the 2022 World Cup, but he was suffering from muscle fatigue before he flew out to Qatar.
Benzema missed Real Madrid’s last two La Liga games before the World Cup and was only allowed to take part in limited training before rejoining the club on Saturday.
However, the 34-year-old suffered a new thigh injury later in the session, and scans confirmed that he would be forced to miss the World Cup while undergoing a three-week rehabilitation period.
“Hit in the quadriceps of the left thigh, the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up participating in the World Cup. Karim Benzema was forced to cut short the collective training session after feeling pain in the quadriceps of his left thigh,” a statement on fff.fr read.
“He went for an MRI at a hospital in Doha, which unfortunately confirmed a femoral rectus injury, which will require a three-week recovery period. After having exchanged with Dr. Franck Le Gall then the Real Madrid striker, Didier Deschamps recorded Karim Benzema’s package for the World Cup.”
Related: Karim Benzema Out Of France’s World Cup Opener Against Australia
Will France Manager Replace Karim Benzema?
Deschamps had until Monday to replace Benzema, with backups including Moussa Diaby, Wissam Ben Yedder, Anthony Martial, Martin Terrier, and Alexandre Lacazette.
When asked by Telefoot on Sunday if he would bring in another player to replace Benzema, Deschamps simply said, “No.”
As a result, France will defend their World Cup title with a 25-man squad, having already lost Christopher Nkunku and Presnel Kimpembe to injuries since Deschamps announced his squad.
Axel Disasi has been called up to replace Achilles victim Kimpembe, while Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Randal Kolo Muani has replaced Nkunku, who sustained a knee injury in training on Tuesday.
Paul Pogba, Mike Maignan, and N’Golo Kante are also missing from France’s World Cup squad, but Raphael Varane is making good progress after suffering a hamstring injury against Chelsea last month.
Varane and Benzema both trained with the team for the first time on Saturday, and while the former passed with flying colours, Deschamps was left “extremely sad” for the latter and intimated that he would not replace him on Saturday night.
“I am extremely sad for Karim who made this World Cup a major goal. Despite this new blow for the French team, I have full confidence in my group. We will do everything to meet the huge challenge that awaits us,” Deschamps told the FFF website.
COMMENTS