Two novices for a list. Their names had been in many mouths for a good part of the season: here they are selected. RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Christopher Nkunku and RC Lens right-back Jonathan Clauss will travel to Clairefontaine for the first time. Didier Deschamps was unveiled, Thursday, March 17, the group summoned for the next gathering. Like a breath of fresh air in “the 23” and a huge leap forward for these players who are signing a very high level club season.
The list of 2️⃣3️⃣ players who will face Ivory Coast and South Africa in Marseille and Lille.
With 2️⃣ new selected!
@Djoninho25 / @c_nk97 #ProudToBeBlues pic.twitter.com/z8bXmoSsmX— French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) March 17, 2022
At 24, Christopher Nkunku is in the season of his life. The midfielder trained at Paris Saint-Germain, a key player for Razenballsport Leipzig, is one of the very best in the Bundesliga. Author of fifteen goals and nine assists in the league, he also left his mark on the Champions League by shaking the net seven times and delivering one assist in just six games.
For Jonathan Clauss, it is regularity that counts. He has been one of the bosses of the Sang et Or for two seasons and in particular on the current exercise where, as a right piston, he delivers offerings to his teammates. Here he is with nine assists for four goals scored in the 2021/2022 season. He is therefore the second best passer in Ligue 1 behind Parisians Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi (10). In the absence of Léo Dubois and with a dilettante Benjamin Pavard in the Blues, the player trained in Strasbourg could pull out of the game.
On the side of the absentees, three main names are to be highlighted: those of Léo Dubois (Lyon), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich) and Olivier Giroud (Milan), not summoned for the two meetings of the Blues against Côte d’Ivoire and the South Africa, March 25 and 29 in Marseille and Lille.
Guardians : Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, Alphonse Areola.
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Jonathan Clauss, Lucas Hernandez, Théo Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Koundé, Benjamin Pavard, Raphaël Varane.
Environments : Matteo Guendouzi, N’Golo Kanté, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman, Moussa Diaby, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Christopher Nkunku.