Europe 1 with AFP 7:19 p.m., November 14, 2022

A surprise, a package and a novice: the gathering of the Blues in Clairefontaine began on Monday with the surprise summons of Marcus Thuram and the package for the World Cup of Presnel Kimpembe, replaced at short notice by the novice Axel Disasi.

The Blues are now complete before flying to Qatar.

Wednesday when announcing his list, the coach Didier Deschamps had taken a risk by checking the name of "Presko", affected with an Achilles tendon at the end of October and returned only Sunday on the grounds for fifteen minutes.

"Insufficiently recovered" from an injury, according to the French Football Federation, the stopper of Paris Saint-Germain will not be able to defend his title of world champion 2018 in Qatar, forced to forfeit as Paul Pogba did before him and N'Golo Kante.

The 27-year-old central defender "made the decision" to leave his place, with regret.

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Axel Disasi called

The decision was taken Monday morning, on the first day of the rally at Clairefontaine, after a discussion with doctor Franck Le Gall, then with coach Didier Deschamps.

Kimpembé's withdrawal opens the door to the French team for Axel Disasi, a 24-year-old AS Monaco central defender, who has never been called up before.

And she frees up a starting place in the left axis of a four-man defense for Dayot Upamecano or Ibrahima Konaté, according to information distilled Monday by the coach.

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Marcus Thuram, chef's surprise

Earlier in the day, Deschamps surprised by summoning a 26th player, striker Marcus Thuram, performing this season with Borussia Mönchengladbach but no longer seen in the tricolor jersey since his fourth selection during the Euro in the summer of 2021.

The 25-year-old son of Lilian Thuram completes a line of attackers with prestigious names, from Karim Benzema to Kylian Mbappé via Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Christopher Nkunku, whom he is hot on the heels of. ranking of scorers in the Bundesliga.

The boss of the reigning world champions had called up 25 players when he announced the list on Wednesday, but Fifa allows coaches to bring up to 26 to Qatar, three more than the usual rule.

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"Good feelings" for Varane

The medical staff of the Blues was on deck Monday to examine the bodies, damaged by the infernal pace of the European calendar and the last sores of the weekend.

Particular attention was paid to Jules Koundé, stuck in the Barça infirmary for more than two weeks, and to Karim Benzema since the Real Madrid striker, embarrassed in one thigh, only spent half a time on the pitch since October 19.

The two players, however, showed up for the first training session on Monday evening, like Raphaël Varane, engaged in a race against time since his worrying thigh injury on October 22.