FC Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé is back in the French team, more than two years after his last selection in the tricolor jersey.

With an enlarged group of 26 players, the Blues will play three matches against Ukraine on March 24, Kazakhstan on the 28th and Bosnia on the 31st.

French coach Didier Deschamps recalled Ousmane Dembélé and Tanguy Ndombélé on Thursday from an expanded list of 26 players summoned for the start of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup at the end of March.

In a group where no major framework is lacking, the boss of the France team offers a chance to the Barcelona player and the Tottenham player, as well as to Thomas Lemar, less than three months from the Euro, to face Ukraine at the Stade de France on March 24 before trips to Kazakhstan on the 28th and Bosnia on the 31st.

Dembélé "returned to the level he had"

Ousmane Dembélé (23 years old, 21 caps) signs his comeback in Blues, he who has multiplied injuries since his last cap in November 2018. "Ousmane continues the matches, noted Deschamps, he has regained his athletic abilities with this ability to make differences, score goals… He has regained the level he had. "

The other comeback to highlight is that of Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombélé (24 years old, 6 caps), more appeared in the jersey with two stars since June 2019.

The 26 Blues selected to start Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup!

# FiersdetreBleuspic.twitter.com / Tsl0dkv2UY

- French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) March 18, 2021

As in the last rallies, Deschamps has chosen to build an expanded list, with 26 players including four goalkeepers, which allows Alphonse Areola to accompany the usual trio Lloris-Mandanda-Maignan.

Uncertain because injured or in the recovery phase, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman are well in the list.

On the other hand, Corentin Tolisso, away from the field for several months, is, as expected, the great absent from this gathering.

Camavinga and Aouar with the hopes

Among the young contenders, Dayot Upamecano is injured and therefore logically left out.

As for Eduardo Camavinga, Houssem Aouar or even Jonathan Ikoné, already selected, they will wear the Hopes jersey during the Under-21 Euro, after being summoned by coach Sylvain Ripoll at the start of the week.

Under Didier Deschamps, the lists of 23 players who will play a major competition have never differed greatly from those published in March: the future 23 of the Euro in June probably all, or almost, appear in this first list of 2021.

The list of 26 players

Goalkeepers:

Alphonse Areola (Fulham / ANG), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham / ANG), Mike Maignan (Lille), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenders:

Lucas Digne (Everton / ANG), Léo Dubois (Lyon), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich / ALL), Presnel Kimpembe (PSG), Clément Lenglet (FC Barcelona / ESP), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid / ESP), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich / ALL), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid / ESP), Kurt Zouma (Chelsea / ENG)

Midfielders:

N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea / ANG), Tanguy Ndombélé (Tottenham / ANG), Paul Pogba (Manchester United / ANG), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus / ITA), Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham / ANG)

Forwards:

Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich / ALL), Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona / ESP), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea / ANG), Antoine Griezmann (FC Barcelona / ESP), Thomas Lemar (Atlético Madrid / ESP ), Anthony Martial (Manchester United / ENG), Kylian Mbappé (PSG)