Didier Deschamps confirms good news for Raphael Varane as Anthony Martial misses out | OneFootball

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is recovering well and is in contention for France’s first game against Australia.

Varane was the only United player to be called up to the French squad.

The defender suffered an injury against Chelsea and faced a race against time to be fit for France’s involvement in Qatar.

Didier Deschamps nevertheless called him up and the United star has been working hard to be fit for Les Bleus’ opener on Tuesday.

There were fears regarding Varane’s fitness when he alongside Karim Benzema trained separately from the other players.

However, according to Deschamps, the 29-year-old is set to star against Australia.

The French national team boss said, “Raphaël Varane was working hard in training and he will be available for our first game vs Australia.”

The Varane update will be greeted with joy by United fans who have been eager to see the Rolls-Royce defender in action, as France look to retain their title.

A United player who will not be pleased with Deschamps’s briefing is Anthony Martial.

Benzema was ruled out of the French World Cup contingent with an injury. He was deemed unable to continue.

Martial was widely tipped as a consideration for Deschamps in his search for Benzema’s replacement.

However, Deschamps has opted against calling up a replacement for Benzema. This effectively rules out any last hopes Martial harboured of being part of the France squad.

Martial will be hoping to use the World Cup break to solidify his standing in Ten Hag’s plans.