France manager Didier Deschamps has revealed why he has opted against replacing the injured Karim Benzema in his World Cup squad, with the Real Madrid man ruled out of the tournament.
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was left out of the original squad, and was overlooked again after RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku was injured in training last week. Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani was called up to the squad instead.
Deschamps once again decided against including Martial in his squad, despite now being without 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema. He insisted that he would not be replacing the Los Blancos star with another forward and has now explained why he has made that decision.
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When asked why by Telefoot why he had not called up another player, he replied: "Because I decided, simply… this is a quality group, united on and off the pitch. I have confidence in them."
Martial's snub will come as a disappointment to the United frontman, with the 26-year-old having scored four times in his last six appearances for Erik ten Hag's side. However, the striker has struggled with injuries already this term and has started just two Premier League for the Reds.
The Frenchman scored a brace off the bench in the defeat to Manchester City last month, with his other goals coming in the Europa League victory over Omonia Nicosia and EFL Cup triumph over Aston Villa.
Martial has not played for his country since September 2021, despite having previously been a regular in Deschamps' squads. He has made a total of 30 appearances for France during his career, registering two goals and eight assists.
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