Eduardo Camavinga returns to midfield in France squad | OneFootball

It came as no surprise to see Eduardo Camavinga called up by Didier Deschamps for France’s double header of Euro 2024 qualifiers next month, with the 20-year-old now a regular for Real Madrid – having played a total of 58 games this season for Los Blancos.

However, this Wednesday’s squad announcement notably saw the former Rennes man included among the midfielders in the squad – marking a return to his favoured position after a season of playing left-back for both club and country.

Camavinga was initially deployed as a left-back by Deschamps himself during the World Cup campaign earlier this season, owing to an injury early on in the tournament to Lucas Hernandez. Since the turn of the year, the Frenchman has also been used in that position by Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, notably impressing in that role in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Manchester City. This time, though, Deschamps has named him as a midfielder, in the wake of club teammate Ferland Mendy’s return to the national team, as he has explained in his press conference:

“I didn’t want to have a larger squad just to keep some players in the stands. I practically have three options for every position. That way I have some peace of mind, because you never know what could happen. It’s part of the criteria as well. Eduardo has that capacity as well, he’s very good as a midfielder and he’s also been good as a left-back.”

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin