Marie-Antoinette Katoto returns with the Bleues for the last gathering of the year

Injured in the knee in July 2022 during the Euro, the attacker is recalled with the Blue who will face Austria and Portugal on December 1 and 5, for the last matches of the Nations League group stage.

Almost a year and a half after her serious right knee injury during the Euro, Marie-Antoinette Katoto will make her return with the Blues. The French striker has returned to competition in recent weeks with Paris Saint-Germain, and was called up, Friday November 24, by Hervé Renard, for the last gathering of the year of the French team which is competing in the Nations League pools.

Eve Périsset, who was not present in the last list due to a lack of playing time at Chelsea, is also back. Amandine Henry is called again. Les Bleues, who are three points ahead of Austria, will face their runners-up in the group A2 standings, then Portugal… to ensure their first place and qualification for the semi-finals.

“It took her time (…), she still hasn’t played a full match, we have to be patient with Marie. She’s doing good things, she’s capable of progressing, we’re going to support in the best way so that it can bring us all its qualities in the near future and they are numerous”, declared Friday Hervé Renard, at a press conference at the FFF. Although she has not yet played a single match in its entirety, the Parisian striker has already scored two goals in nine matches with PSG. Top scorer in D1 in 2019 (22 goals), 2020 (16) and 2022 (18), Katoto was also named best player in the French championship in 2022 before getting injured.

Compared to the previous list, goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, starting at the World Cup and returning from injury, also returns, in place of Constance Picaud, in turn affected, just like Kenza Dali, in place and place of Sandie Toletti, injured in midfield, just like Mathilde Bourdieu and Sandy Baltimore, also absent from this list.

Bleues and Angel City FC midfielder Amandine Henry, who signed for Losc during the American championship break, is once again summoned by Hervé Renard, who likes to rely on his executives, like the Northerner (34 years old, 97 caps ), Eugénie Le Sommer (34 years old, 187 caps) or Wendie Renard (33 years old, 154 caps).