2023-07-07 19:58:49
Victim of a left calf muscle injury, midfielder Amandine Henry will not participate in the Women’s World Cup which begins in Australia on July 20. She will be replaced by reservist Aïssatou Tounkara.
Published on: 07/07/2023 – 19:58
Hard blow for Les Bleues less than two weeks before the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Midfielder Amandine Henry (93 caps), recalled by coach Hervé Renard after more than two years of absence, is forfeited for the World Cup (July 20-August 20) due to a calf injury, has announced the Federation on Friday 7 July.
The former captain of the Blue, injured Wednesday in training, is replaced by Aïssatou Tounkara in the group which will leave for Australia on Saturday, two weeks before the first match in the tournament against Jamaica, July 23 in Sydney.
This is a new big disappointment for the 33-year-old player, long kept away by former coach Corinne Deacon, and who had been recalled in extremis by Hervé Renard for the competition in Oceania.
Since the start of the rally, on June 20 in Clairefontaine (Yvelines), the management of the France team had spared the defensive midfielder, weaned from competition since the beginning of March due to a knee injury, first, then a sick leave taken “for personal reasons”.
Forfeit against Ireland
The new player from Angel City (United States), a former OL figure with seven Champions League titles, felt quite severe pain during training on Wednesday in Dublin, which forced her to package against Ireland (3-0), Thursday.
“It’s going to be difficult now, we’re going to say that it was the worst time for it to happen,” commented Hervé Renard, pessimistic, after the match. There will be medical examinations, “but normally we know what to expect, it will be an unavailability, it will have to be replaced”, he continued.
The coach, eager to “keep the group intact” according to the formula used on Thursday, chose to replace her numerically with central defender Aïssatou Tounkara (28 years old, 39 caps), who became a reserve on Tuesday after the group tightened from 26 to 23 players . He therefore does not make a change position for position.
The official list must be sent to Fifa on July 10 at the latest, but the French federation can replace a player, in the event of a forfeit, until Saturday July 22, i.e. 24 hours before the entry into the running against Jamaica in Global.
With AFP
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