FRANCE kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia in Qatar yet there will be an absence in the French midfield with N’Golo Kante missing out on a seat on the plane.
Didier Deschamps released his 26-man squad list for the tournament on Wednesday with the Chelsea midfielder not featuring.
Kante was an integral piece of the Les Blues 2018 World Cup winning side with the then 27-year-old playing every minute for the national side.
Now four years on, the rise of young talents such as Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni has provided Kante with heightened competition for a place in the midfield.
And he is not in action for France as they face England in the quarter-finals.
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The absence of the midfielder will be a huge blow for France, who face Denmark this week, as well as for Chelsea as shown by their poor defensive record as of late.
The Blues number six has been sidelined for four months due to a hamstring injury suffered during a 2-2 draw with Tottenham in August.
The injury has meant Kante will miss the opportunity to help France to become only the third side to retain the World Cup.
Providing all goes will with the 31-year-olds recovery, it looks likely we will see him return to action soon after the season proceeds.
