Football Italia
·9 October 2024
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·9 October 2024
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was snubbed for the France captaincy, while coach Didier Deschamps admits it is ‘not a good time’ for Theo Hernandez and Inter’s injured Marcus Thuram either.
The two Rossoneri stars are in the squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Israel tomorrow and then Belgium on Monday.
Kylian Mbappé asked to be left out so he can work towards regaining full fitness at Real Madrid, while his vice-captain Antoine Griezmann announced his international retirement.
Maignan had been heavily tipped to take over the armband, as he already has something of a leadership role in the locker room.
However, it was confirmed today that Aurelien Tchaouameni will be the captain for these upcoming games and Maignan was – according to RMC Sport – not even on the three-man shortlist.
L’Equipe argued this had left Maignan “disappointed,” but Tchaouameni assured it was not a problem.
Deschamps spoke at a press conference and commented on the recent form of Maignan’s Milan teammate Theo Hernandez, who had a penalty saved by Fiorentina’s David De Gea and was sent off for insulting the referee.
“It has been a complicated start to the season. I already spoke to him about it, he has done better than this and he knows that, naturally,” said the coach.
“Theo Hernandez is happy to be on international duty, which is true for all players coming out of difficult periods at their clubs. It is not his best moment. He has some responsibility for that too, but there are many factors.”
Thuram is joint-Capocannoniere of Serie A this season with seven goals for Inter, scoring a hat-trick at the weekend, but he might not be available for France tomorrow.
He picked up a knock to the ankle in that game and is still struggling.
“Thuram will train separately and we’ll see tomorrow, but as of right now, his presence seems uncertain,” confirmed Deschamps.
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