France boss Didier Deschamps has ruled out replacing injured Real Madrid frontman Karim Benzema.
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was touted as a potential replacement for Benzema, who has been confirmed to be ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar. Benzema has sustained a thigh problem and confirmed on Instagram that his tournament was over before it had even started.
Speculation then arose as to whether Deschamps would call up a replacement, with Martial one of three possible names in contention.
Deschamps was asked by a reporter on Sunday: “Will Karim Benzema be replaced?” The France chief responded: “No.”
It means France will have a 25-man squad despite being able to bump it up to 26.
