France team: Dayot Upamecano spared, Théo Hernandez in the recovery phase

2023-06-15 00:57:32

Didier Deschamps could not count on his entire group this Wednesday on the eve of the departure for Faro (Portugal) and 48 hours before the duel against Gibraltar. Central defender Dayot Upamecano did not appear on the lawns of Clairefontaine due to a bruised foot. It was decided to leave the Bavarian in care out of caution but the time would not be for concern.

There is something better about the only absentee of the last two days. Théo Hernandez, hit in a calf, was able to resume the race on the sidelines of the day’s session. The Milan side could therefore apply for a starting place in a position where Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga still acts as a backup replacement. As a reminder, the third match of the qualifiers (Friday 8:45 p.m.) has been relocated to Portugal because the local stadium in the capital is not approved. Takeoff for the Algarve is scheduled for 10:30 this Thursday.

Today’s session, very light, concluded a day marked, just before, by a playful parenthesis with children. As every year, the FFF organizes the “Dream training” operation in partnership with the sponsors, the latter inviting fans of the Blues. Each international took care of an apprentice footballer for half an hour, under the watchful eye of parents and cameras. Shooting, passing, dribbling workshops… The staff, Didier Deschamps in the lead, also got into the game.

Kylian Mbappé, at the heart of all the speculation, was there, looking just as relaxed as the day before. It will now be a question of whether the tricolor striker will honor this Thursday at 6 p.m. (French time) the traditional pre-match press conference. The decision was not yet made this Wednesday evening. An end of the day punctuated by the visit of President Philippe Diallo for dinner. The president of the FFF, freshly elected after three months of acting, could in particular take the opportunity to meet the prodigy of PSG and his vice-captain Antoine Griezmann. All three are supposed to meet to talk about the negotiations relating to the image rights of the Blues.

This issue was also discussed in the middle of the day. Representatives of the National Union of Professional Footballers came to raise their awareness of several issues. Among them, collective agreements therefore but also the risks of mental and physical wear and tear linked to the accumulation of club and selection matches.