France boss Didier Deschamps has already explained why Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been overlooked for their World Cup squad.
Deschamps has previously claimed that the striker – who has not been selected for the France international side since September 2021 – "lacked in finishing". Martial has now been overlooked twice for the Les Bleus World Cup squad, following an injury to RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku.
Martial was not among the eight forwards selected by Deschamps for the tournament in Qatar with Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman and Marcus Thuram all selected in a squad with an embarrassment of attacking riches.
An injury to Nkunku this week opened the door once more for Martial, who has returned to form and fitness for United in recent matches. However, Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani has now been named as the replacement forward within the ranks.
Martial has found the net four times in his last six appearances for United in an injury-hit season, which has limited him to just two starts in the Premier League. He bagged a double against Manchester City after being introduced as a half-time substitute and also scored from the bench in a Europa League victory over Omonia Nicosia.
The 26-year-old started his second league game against Fulham on Sunday – his only other start, against Everton, was curtailed in the first half by the reoccurrence of a muscular injury – amid hopes that he may have returned to fitness in time for a late call-up, but it was not to be.
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Martial has not played for France in the past 14 months and boss Deschamps offered a critical assessment of the striker after he started in a victory over Portugal in November 2020. Despite his side winning 1-0, the striker was substituted off in the 78th minute.
Deschamps admitted in an interview with TF1 after the game two years ago: "He lacked in finishing – he seemed a little bit clumsy, but sincerely, having watched the moments again, it came down to small margins. He is part of the group of players who have not been here for a long period of time, but he has changed during this period, on the pitch and off of it."
While Deschamps had appeared to give encouragement for more Martial involvement at that point, those words have not come to fruition since: "With years, he has also gained maturity. He is much more determined – he already had quality. Things are more concrete. I feel a bit unfortunate for him because he was not rewarded with a goal, but he is very promising."
