In Summary
- Kante, who is back to his national team despite not having played since 2022
- He joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer from Chelsea,
- Also making a return to the international fold is Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy, who has not played for France since September 2022,
N’Golo Kante made a surprise return to the French national team after a two-year absence as head coach Didier Deschamps unveiled his 25-man squad for the European Championship on Thursday, with France captain Kylian Mbappe leading the way.
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N’Golo Kante Move to Al Ittihad
Kante, who is back to his national team despite not having played since 2022, joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer from Chelsea, where he managed to regain his shape, making 41 appearances this season.
“His last selection was in June 2022. What followed was much more complicated for him, with a serious injury that prevented him from playing and certainly from being part of the squad for the World Cup,” Deschamps said to a press conference
“We followed him regularly. He was able to regain all his footballing and athletic ability by playing a lot of matches. The situation was clear in my mind. I took this decision because I believe that the French team will be stronger with him,” the coach added
Also making a return to the international fold is Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy, who has not played for France since September 2022, but has been a regular this term for his club who are on course to complete a Spanish league-Champions League double.
Star attacker Kylian Mbappe was also included in the squad, as were Antoine Griezman ,Olivier Giroud and Arsenal defender William Saliba
Mbappe comes into the tournament in fine form, despite uncertainty about where he will play his football next season after confirming he would leave PSG this summer.
The France captain has scored 44 goals so far this season and can add to that tally in his team’s remaining Ligue 1 match and the French Cup final.
Full France squad for Euro 2024
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham ) Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba
Forwards: Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain) Kingsley Coman , (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan) , Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) William Saliba (Arsenal) Jules Kounde (Barcelona) Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich ) Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) , Adrien Rabiot (Juventus) Antoine Griezman (Atletico Madrid ) Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco)
