Didier Deschamps has ruled out the prospect of Karim Benzema making a dramatic comeback to the France squad to figure in Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
The Ballon d’Or winner had suffered a thigh injury in training that seemed to end his tournament before it began.
But the striker has made a swift recovery and appeared in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Real Madrid against Leganes, prompting suggestions Deschamps, who had never replaced him in his squad, could bring him back to face Argentina.
But the France manager denied that could happen, saying: “Some players have been injured and Karim Benzema is one of them and Lucas Hernandez got injured in the first game. From that point on, I have 24 players in my squad and they are the ones at my disposal, so I don’t think it is fair to those players to ask about players who aren’t here.
“It is not up to me to decide who comes to watch the game, former players or injured players, I focus on my squad and the players at my disposal. We have lost three Christopher Nkunku, Karim Benzema and Lucas Hernandez and I lost them even though they were in the squad to begin with. So now I am focusing on my 24-man squad and they are the ones I will have at my disposal tomorrow.”
Benzema missed France’s 2018 World Cup win when he was out of international football for five years. In his absence in Qatar, Olivier Giroud has returned to the side and has scored four goals.
Deschamps is waiting to discover if a virus will force some of his players to miss the World Cup final. Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano sat out the semi-final win over Morocco with sickness, before Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Kingsley Coman missed training on Friday.
He added: “We are trying to manage this as best as we can and remain calm and focused. We are doing our best to take precautions and adapt and live with it without going too far but doing what is necessary. We would have preferred not to face this but are managing it as best as we can.”
